Konoha: Naruto's Playground
by MegaB
Summary: When Naruto finally decides that the Konoha populace doesn't deserve his protection, he moves to another goal...Have fun! But his fun turns to fear when his vow to never fight as a Shinobi is broken.
1. This is my Playground

Disclaimer: (I'm only posting this once 'cos it's idiotic for anyone to think any different!) I do NOT own Naruto or anything to do with it. Naruto is the sole property of Masashi Kishimoto, and I expect it will stay that way.

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Naruto simply stared at the dumbest villagers he had seen in his entire life. Seriously! 4 years of being called a 'demon' and a 'monster' without doing anything to prove them right, was causing his young mind to think that maybe they were the real monsters in this ill-begotten country. It could be said that in the short 4 years of his life, he had been forced to grow up rather fast, and as of late, he was beginning to notice that the villagers' misplaced hate was starting to really grate on his nerves!

He had seen other kids with their parents of course. Hell, strangers didn't even treat themselves like he was being treated! What would he have to do to just get them to back off and leave him the hell alone? His golden blond hair waved as he stood contemplating this latest set-back in his mission to prove the villagers wrong.

'_Why am I trying to do this again?' _

In front of him stood 2 villagers, their beer-bellies sticking slightly out of their bulging jumpers as they glared at him with grossly misshaped, bloodshot eyes.

"Ya damn monster! Wha' the heck ya think ya tryna pull comin' inta our shop like that?" The one on the right raged as he waved his beer bottle in the air manically. "Ya aint got no right ta step ya filthy feet past the doorway, hear?"

The man's belly wobbled, his puckered-fat lips foaming as he bellowed in anger at the youngster. Naruto almost cracked up there and then at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Almost.

The second villager, a rotund, greasy brown-haired man stood to the left of his companion glaring with an almost frigid gaze. However, it was his words that were the catalyst to a world-changing decision that would haunt Konoha for years to come. It could be said, that as he had a more sober mind and was able to communicate in more than a drunkard's slur, his words carried far more weight than that of his maniac of a counterpart.

"You, who have killed so many of our friends and family, have no right to enter any of the shops and buildings anywhere within Konoha. You should be dead!" Spitting the last statement from his mouth, he turned and stomped away, leaving his companion to finish up with the innocent youth.

"What the hell does that mean, you fat geezer? I haven't killed anyone! You people are the ones that always hurt me!" It was safe to say that Naruto was close to his breaking point. After everything he had been through in his life, this guy had the audacity to say that he, 4 and a quarter years old Uzumaki Naruto, was responsible for people dying? He had never lifted a finger to an animal let alone a human!

"Don't go playin dumb ya stupid demon. We all know just wha' ya capab...capabaly...capable of!" Throwing his empty bottle at Naruto, he turned to follow after his companion, probably to return to more rounds of alcohol and drunkenness.

Naruto was livid. Capable? Him? He wasn't anywhere near what one could call capable! Why, if he was so capable, could he not push the swing by himself while he sat on it? Why, if he was so capable, could he not cook any of the delicious food he had seen being made in all those top-class restaurants?

Why, if he was so capable, could he not protect himself when the villagers attacked him for no reason?

The brown bottle that the man had thrown, bounced off his head with a dull 'thud' and Naruto was left with an incessant ringing in his ears and cloudy vision for the next 5 minutes. Even as he stood there, staring at the ground, his small face scrunched up with tears leaking from the corner of his eyes, he knew that these people didn't deserve protection; they didn't deserve his trust. The words of the quiet drunk resounded in his head over and over.

'_You should be dead!' _

He couldn't take it anymore. His small brain was almost exploding with confusion, hurt and anger. The image of his lonely form sitting on a swing in one of Konoha's small parks kept appearing in his mind. How many times had he wished that there would be someone there to push him, to let him experience the rushing wind, as he swung, whooping and screaming at the top of his lungs? How many times had he wondered that if nobody would push him, maybe a strong enough breeze would force his small body into the air instead? He had witnessed the ones his Jiji called ninja, springing from the rooftops at high speed and he wondered what it would be like to have to rely on no-one.

Slowly, he came to, the ringing in his ears subsiding and the fog over his vision dispersing. He realised he was still standing at the side of the kerb in one of Konoha's busier market districts. The sun had begun to set and many of the shopkeepers were packing up, readying themselves to go home; again something he wished he had. He knew there was no point returning to the orphanage, they would kick him out again anyway. No, he'd sleep outside today. Besides, he had his monthly meeting with the Hokage tomorrow and he wanted to ask his Jiji all the questions that were assaulting his mind. Raising his head, he watched as the sun disappeared over the top of a building before turning to trudge towards the forest. At least the idiot villagers couldn't catch him there.

And with the setting of the sun, so did the dream to be Hokage diminish from his small mind. The sun would rise again, but his dream was irrevocably changed. He couldn't remember when he had first started thinking of being free from his cage.

Free, like the sun.

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Sarutobi Hiruzen stared. If he was asked he would openly admit that right now he was more surprised than he had been in a very long time. In fact, the last time he had been this surprised was when Minato-kun had stated that he would have to take over as Hokage again, as the genius Shinobi was about to die. Of course, that time he was more worried about the Kyuubi than he was about being Hokage and so couldn't really concentrate on why he was so shocked. But this time there were no convenient distractions.

Naruto had just asked to be a ninja yet not a ninja. He'd just asked to learn Shinobi techniques yet he didn't want to join the academy or become a Konoha Shinobi.

"Why, Naruto? Why wouldn't you want to become a Konoha Shinobi at the same time? You would be paid, and you would be able to look after yourself," Sarutobi really did not know what to make of this strange request.

Obviously something had happened yesterday, the venerable ninja could easily decipher from Naruto's dejected look that something had caused him to change his dream of being Hokage.

"Jiji! I don't wanna protect this village anymore! I like you and Ichiraku-jisan, but apart from that everyone's mean to me! I don't wanna protect people who treat me so bad!" Obviously the boy was not being forthcoming on the finer details, Sarutobi mused.

Sighing, he stood up from his desk, where the mountain of the morning's paperwork teetered dangerously over the edge. He thought about Naruto's request. He supposed he could start the boy on the basics of Chakra if he really wanted it. God knows, the kid deserved to have ninja training more than anyone else, given his heritage and the life he had led so far. But to not want to be allied with the village? He didn't think anything like that had been done before.

"If I do teach you to be a Shinobi, what will you do with the skills? If not to protect people, how would you put the knowledge to good use?"

Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration. It took him a good 30 seconds for his 4 year old mind to grasp what the old Hokage meant, but when he did his face lit up. Sarutobi's heart lifted just by seeing the boy this happy after how down he had been just a minute before.

"Well ya see Jiji. I was thinkin', see? And I thought if I could do all these cool tricks like jumping over buildings and running as fast as the wind then I could have loadsa fun!" Naruto was literally bouncing at this point in his excitement. He had obviously thought this through.

"Have fun? Naruto, ninja techniques are not for fun, they are used to protect people, to protect the will of fire that resides within all of the people in Konoha! You may think them fun now, but you will realise that these techniques can hurt people later on. Why would you want to hurt people if not to protect people from the ones that hurt them?" Sarutobi didn't know if the boy would understand what he said, he was only 4 after all.

Naruto's hair shadowed his eyes as he stared at his feet. When he raised his head, the Sandaime Hokage was once again surprised with the calculating look that creased the youngster's face.

"Jiji, why should I protect people who are always tryna hurt me? You always say about the 'Will of Fire'...Where's that fire when the people out there throw things at me? Where's that Will of Fire when no-one wants to push me or play with me on the swings? HUH Jiji?"

Sarutobi paused, 'well that explains what happened yesterday then. Damn those villagers, can't they see a little child for what it is?' It struck him how Naruto's demands were not truly such a big thing. If anything it would help him as the Konoha council would not be able to overrule the Hokage if it was about civilian matters. The Shinobi part of the council would not have a say and the civilian side would listen to anything their Hokage told them. No, if anything, this was a present for the Hokage. Danzo wouldn't be able to pressurise him any longer on having Naruto entered into the ROOT programme if he wasn't a Shinobi.

It was safe to say that guilt was eating away at the old Hokage's soul after Naruto's latest outburst. Also it couldn't hurt to teach the boy about some of the harmless things a Shinobi learnt. There were many civilians who had some training in the ninja arts, especially the students who didn't manage to graduate from the academy, or were taken from the roster due to debilitating injuries.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll teach you some things, but if you get hurt or hurt other people then I am going to stop. Are we clear on that?"

Naruto's head whipped up from where it had fallen to staring at the floor again. His face split by a wide grin as he cheered.

"Woohoo! I'm gonna learn all these cool moves and have loadsa fun all my life!" Some of Sarutobi's guilt disappeared when he heard that proclamation. At least he wouldn't regret this decision.

"Now listen closely Naruto, this is what ninja need to know..."

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Well there you go, chapter one of my first fanfic ever. Now you may be able to see where I'm going with this, suffice to say it will be far removed from any fic that you have seen on this site so far. I intend it to be bordering ludicrous so don't go asking what the hell is wrong with my mind.

Please tell me what you think! If it's well received, I will continue, if not...well I'll see where to go from there.


	2. Chapter 2

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Naruto grinned devilishly. Oh, this was gonna be good! He had scoped out the Akimichi food house earlier and everything was prepared. If all went well, he'd be home free before 3PM and no-one would be any wiser! He almost let out a cacophony of evil laughter to suit the mood but instead settled for a quiet giggle.

It wouldn't do for him to be caught, right?

Over the last year or so, Naruto had been learning a few ninja techniques. He had managed to draw on his chakra and Jiji had taught him the leaf hovering control exercise. He hadn't fully mastered it yet, but he could move his chakra to most parts of his body. His feet, however, were still unable to hold chakra, but Jiji had said that it was the hardest point to focus Chakra in the body. He had also managed a decent Henge and could pull the Kawarimi no Jutsu off flawlessly. No matter how hard he tried though, he couldn't do the Bunshin no Jutsu.

'Ah well, practise makes perfect!' And with that, he focused Chakra to his legs and leapt off the building that he had been sitting on. It was close to noon and most of the Akimichi clan would be out at their favourite places of repast and so this was the best time for him to carry out his self-appointed mission. As he ran and jumped the small distances between the roofs of the Konoha buildings, he couldn't jump very far yet, so he had to settle for jumping to the nearest building each time, he pondered on why the Sandaime wouldn't teach him any more than the 3 Jutsu he had been practising for the last year.

'Yeesh! The Jutsu he gave me aren't very fun. Look at the amount of work I have to do to make them interesting!' Truth be told, he was enjoying himself, but the true joy came after the deed, or so they say. Naruto was one to agree.

Landing on the street floor once again, he quickly hid himself on the nearest house corner he could find. Usually the Akimichi were so focused on getting to their meals that they didn't pay any attention to their surroundings. No, the main problem was getting into the clan house. He would have to make sure that he wasn't caught then!

Checking that the coast was clear, he ran as fast as his 5 year old legs could take him, through the hustle and bustle of one of Konoha's finer marketplaces. The sound of yelling and advertisement reached his ears as he pounded down the cobblestone street, keeping a wary eye out for anyone acting suspicious. He nearly snorted at that; if anyone was acting suspicious, it was him!

As he cleared a large crowd of villagers who were waiting their turn at one of the more upstanding restaurants, he sighted the Akimichi clan house ahead. It was a modestly large building, nowhere near as big as say, the Uchiha or Hyuuga estates, and was decked out in reds and browns. The mahogany and maroon doors stood large and imposing, with the Akimichi's trademark swirl painted smoothly on each side. No matter, he definitely was not going through the front!

Stopping close to the front of the house, Naruto made his way down a side alley and spied exactly what he was looking for. There was a pile of delivery crates stacked almost as high as the first floor, very close to a window. Deftly scaling the boxes, he reached for the latch of the window, but his 5 year old body was not quite large enough to bridge the distance. Naruto leaned over and just as the pile was about to fall, sprang to the window ledge and unlatched the window. This was careless security, having a latch on the outside of a house, but then again the Akimichi thought they had nothing to hide.

Oh how wrong they were.

Just as Naruto found himself inside a sparsely furnished room, he encountered his first obstacle of his 'sort-of' mission. The crates had leaned too far over and had crashed to the ground. Ducking his head, he waited for the response of the villagers.

"What was that?" He heard the pattering of running feet and then silence.

"Ah, the crates fell over. Must've been a cat! No matter, we'll inform Chouza as soon as he gets back, they may need them for a delivery later after all" Naruto listened intently as the voices moved away. He almost chuckled again. Little did they know that the crates were the least of their problems. He had to move quickly though, wouldn't want those idiotic villagers telling the fatsos before he was clear of this place.

Padding over to the only door in the room, he cracked it open and peeked out. He was just outside some kind of hallway on the first floor, but he needed to get to the basement. Hopefully there wasn't anyone lounging around downstairs.

Silently he moved out once again, this time keeping on his tiptoes and sticking close to the walls. He found the stairs at the end of the hallway and silently slipped down to the ground floor. Luckily for him, the stairs to the basement led directly off the ground floor, so he didn't hesitate.

Reaching the ground floor, he shook with silent laughter as he looked upon his objective: The Akimichi cutthroat special, a recipe of great culinary importance that every Akimichi knew by heart. Standing on the dresser, were several bowls of the delicacy just waiting to be eaten by any of the Akimichi who would be eating lunch at home today. Silently he crept over to the veritable stash and pulled out a black and crimson bottle of 'Mukar's Legendary Chilli'. Oh this was going to be good!

Liberally emptying the contents into each bowl, he screwed the cap back on and made ready to leave. Just as he reached the top of the stairway of the first floor, he froze. He had been caught.

Like a rabbit caught in headlights, he bolted for the same room he had come in from. The round-bellied Akimichi that stood in front of him, decked out in a sort of green Samurai armour, bellowed and made to follow. Naruto slammed all his weight into the door, but was left dazed as the Akimichi scrambled up the stairs. Naruto, in his brief glance back, noticed a Konoha headband tied around the right bicep of the clinically obese ninja.

'Darn! At least a genin then', Naruto slammed his frame into the door another 3 times before the ringing in his head caused him to stop. The Akimichi almost upon him, he had an epiphany.

'The Handle!' Turning the handle quickly, the door opened inwards and Naruto collapsed into the room, slamming the door shut after him.

"HAHA fatty! You'll never catch me! Learn to climb over your belly before you try the stairs!" He yelled at the door and then sprinted to the window. This time he had no inhibitions. Wrenching the latch open, he dived out, onto the fallen pile of delivery crates that splintered as he hit them, yet cushioned his fall. As he moved to stand up, he felt and heard the door to the first floor room explode, large chunks of the previously solid wooden entrance shooting out of the open window and impacting with the wall of the neighbouring building.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME FATTY? I'M NOT FAT, I'M BIG-BONED YOU RAT! WHEN I GET YOU I WILL PULVERISE YOU!" Well that didn't sound too good to Naruto so he brushed himself off and made for the alleyway exit.

'Uh-oh. That is not good...' Having underestimated just how big the gap in skill a Genin had over him, Naruto had expected the massive ninja to take a few more seconds to get out the window, but alas the Akimichi was faster than his expansive girth portrayed. He stood at the front of the alley with his limbs akimbo, which made for a frightening sight due to the imposing chubby belly hanging loosely from the front of the ninja's armour. If only he could regulate his chakra to his feet it would be far more effective than just bolstering his leg muscles. It was just typical that the Genin knew the one skill that would give him the advantage in such a situation.

As the adrenaline in his system roared through his veins, Naruto smiled. At least this guy wouldn't recognise him with the ridiculous get-up he had on. He had ditched his white T-shirt and black pants for dark blue hose-pants and a jet black sweatshirt. Wrapped around his head was a black scarf that hid his face up to his eyes and along with the open bandana he had covering his hair, he was sure that no-one could recognise him as the blond anathema that was Uzumaki Naruto. And anyway, he had the Henge as his last resort, which he was planning on using, but right now he needed the other Jutsu in his arsenal.

The Akimichi Genin charged towards him cocking his fist back to punch the small blond in the face. Unfortunately he smashed a delivery crate into pieces. He lunged again, only to get a wooden crate in the face. Again and again he attempted to get the black-covered brat in any way he could and every time he hit another wooden crate. Finally, after his fists were severely abused and his face red with fury, he managed to get to within a meter of the small imposter.

Taking the chance, he launched forward in a crude but devastating head butt. Naruto smirked as he made the seal for the Kawarimi once again. Boy was this fun!

The Akimichi slammed headfirst into an iron beam that had been buried under all the crates, but had been unearthed as Naruto constantly switched with them. The Akimichi stood for a full 20 seconds, comically lumbering from side to side as he strove to keep his consciousness. Finally he collapsed, out like a light.

Naruto was panting hard. He had used most of his Chakra reserves for that little stunt, but it had been worth it. He figured he had just enough Chakra remaining for a solid Henge, but first he had one more opportunity he just couldn't pass up! Leaning down to the collapsed ninja's face, he pulled a permanent marker from his small hip-pouch. It was a standard issue the Hokage had given him to keep his money in. Quickly, he scribbled a word on each of the Akimichi's cheeks and then the same on the ninja's back. Cackling, he righted himself and made the seals for the Henge no Jutsu.

Mission accomplished. Now he just needed a place to watch the fireworks!

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All was normal in the busy market square outside the grand Akimichi clan house. Passers-by stopped to admire the red and brown regalia that adorned every inch of the building, some openly expressing awe and admiration for the clan's tastes. The first sign that anything was wrong inside the building was a slightl rumbling accompanied by a high-pitched whining.

As it grew steadily louder many of the villagers turned to see if they could catch a glimpse of what was making the noise. It seemed to come from the Akimichi clan house. Now that was absurd! Just as the volume reached an unbearable peak, the compound's doors were almost blown off their hinges as four of the infamously round Akimichis tumbled out onto the street, their mouths hanging open, their eyes bulging and tears streaming down their cheeks. Steam rose comically from their ears as they moaned and screamed at the unbearable sensation they were undoubtedly experiencing in their mouths.

Almost immediately, the whole square was in chaos. A good majority of the shoppers didn't wait to find out if it was an attack or something else; they simply dropped whatever was in their hands and ran for home. A small group of alarmed villagers raced to the Akimichis and attempted to find out what was wrong. One brave but stupid villager actually put his hand on the shoulder of the first Akimichi to burst out into the square. Needless to say, the result was explosive.

"CHILLIIIIIIIIIIII!" The Akimichi bellowed as his hand expanded to a larger size and swatted the poor villager away, sending him flying down the street like a rocket. From his hiding place, Naruto felt the displacement of air left in the slipstream of the man's unorthodox flight ruffle his clothing as he rolled around on the floor, barely keeping his laughter to a quiet level so as not to be overheard by anyone.

The four then proceeded to obliterate the square with ridiculously proportioned limbs in their chilli-induced stupor, and Naruto having seen enough to ensure he had a hilarious memory lodged in the back of his skull, turned and made his way back to Konoha's forest. He ripped his scarf from his face and deactivated the Henge. About a minute later he heard another bellow of rage float over him.

"I'M NOT FAT! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SKINNY LITTLE FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK?"

Naruto almost choked on his tongue, 'Guess he woke up then!'

Throwing his head back, he laughed to the heavens. That was FUN!

ZZZZZZ

There ya go, chapter 2. Next chapter will probably be another time skip. Needless to say, Naruto will become very strong very quickly. I estimate him to be roughly at Itachi's level at the same age, so chuunin level by the age of 8. However, he will hardly fight. You can understand that in his current mindset he doesn't want to have a thing to do with becoming a genin, so any odd jobs he will do would be freelance.

Well hope you liked it. Please review if you think I should carry on. By now you should have a good idea of my writing style and so I will not be posting anymore 'trial' chapters. If this is well received, I will continue, if not, well I'm not sure what I'll do!

Later!


	3. Chapter 3

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It had been two days since Naruto's excursion into the Akimichi clan house. Suffice to say, he didn't think he was going to do something like that anytime soon. So instead, he decided to dedicate himself to something that he knew he could do which didn't have such a high percentage injury and/or death rate.

Like suicide jumping off Hokage Mountain.

Since he only knew two Jutsu and a little about chakra control, he decided he would make use of them in the most fun way he could think of.

Like suicide jumping off Hokage Mountain.

The theory was, that if you were proficient enough with the Kawarimi no Jutsu, you could switch yourself with anything that was in your line of sight. Hokage-jiji had informed him when he had taught him the Jutsu that to switch yourself with larger objects, you need more chakra but less control. Naturally that meant the smaller the object, the less chakra was needed yet a more refined control was required. Frustrated that Sarutobi had refused to teach him any other Jutsu for the foreseeable future, Naruto decided to test his limits.

By suicide jumping off Hokage Mountain.

He figured that the further away from the object, the higher amount of chakra and control would be needed, and this was an additional rule to what Jiji had told him. So he decided to take it slow.

Taking in a deep breath, he jumped.

Off of Hokage Mountain.

As he plummeted towards the ground from directly below the Yondaime's stone head, which he had just jumped off of, he quickly made the seal for the Kawarimi whilst locking onto the medium sized planks of wood he had managed to haul up to the monument. In a puff of smoke he found himself once again on the Yondaime's head and peered over the edge of its nose to see the plank of wood he had switched himself with, falling to the ground.

'_Hmm, that was fun, just a bit too short. Let's try a bit further this time'. _

Again, he jumped off of the Yondaime's head and let out a joyous laugh as he felt the G-force dragging against his body. This time he lasted for a full 5 seconds before forming the seal for the Kawarimi and was once again replaced by a plank of wood. This time he felt his chakra pool decrease slightly and sweat beading his forehead.

'_Tch!__Still__too__short!__Screw__this__I__'__m__gonna__go__three-quarters__of__the__way__this__time!__'_ Steeling himself, Naruto got ready to jump once again.

Plunging into the warm Konoha air, he felt the euphoria associated with flying_,__ '__I__wonder__if__this__is__how__a__bird__feels__when__it__flies__'__._ Whooping loudly, he brought his hands up to perform the Kawarimi.

He suddenly noticed that from his rapidly descending angle, he could no longer see the planks of wood that he needed to perform the Jutsu.

'Uh-oh...this is bad...'

Closing his eyes for the impact, he curled himself tight into a ball and attempted to manoeuvre his body into a better position to minimise the damage that would be inflicted when he collided with the ground.

'_Damn,__if__only__I__could__stick__to__walls__I__could__just__reach__my__feet__out__and__stop__my__fall...__'_ Resigned, he gulped in the rushing air.

50 feet.

40.

30.

10...

Suddenly, something caught him in mid-air and Naruto felt the drag from changing direction at such a high speed. Well at least he wasn't lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the mountain...

Naruto felt the jolt of whatever caught him landing on the ground. Through his adrenaline-hazed senses he realised that it was a person that had caught him, and not just any old person; it was an ANBU.

"NARUTO! JUST WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" Naruto turned his head to the left to see Sandaime-jiji glaring at him through his laboured breathing. Turning to stare up at his saviour, he spied a shock of spiked silver hair and the 'Inu' ANBU mask. Turning back to the Hokage he grinned.

"Yo Jiji! 'Cos you only taught me two jutsu, I was tryna see how far I could Kawarimi whilst bungee jumping! You wanna try? It's real fun!"

The Hokage recoiled at hearing Naruto's declaration.

"You mean to tell me that you were jumping OFF of the Hokage Mountain for FUN?" The Hokage's face was by now, apoplectic with rage.

"Well yeah! When I was pulling my stunt at the Akimichi's the other day, I had this idea from replacing myself so many times, see, and so decided to...oops!" Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth. He'd just spilled the beans.

"So it WAS you at the Akimichi clan house! I should have known it would be you! I did not teach you ninja techniques for you to cause chaos in this village Naruto! Can't you remember what I told you about what those Jutsu are for?"

Naruto lowered his head, allowing his hair to shadow his eyes. The arms that held him tightened slightly in a more protective hold. Surprised, Naruto looked back up into the ANBU's face but was met with the stoic mask leering back down at him.

Shaking himself, Naruto faced the Hokage once again.

"But Jiji! It ain't my fault that ya only taught me these two boring Jutsu! I wanted to do something fun and that was the only thing I could think of at the time! I can't even do that stupid clone technique! It never comes out right no matter how hard I try!"

The Hokage sighed. He distantly realised that he had been doing that a lot more frequently these days. At least he had something to say to the Akimichi now, although being honest with himself, he would never name Naruto as the culprit. The boy had too many enemies already to add more to the list.

"Look Naruto we'll discuss this in my office. You should just think about how scared I was when I looked out of my window and saw you jumping off that mountain. Inu, bring him to my office".

With an immediate "HAI, Hokage-sama!", all three disappeared in a shower of leaves.

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Naruto snickered evilly into his hand as he walked to his new apartment place that the Hokage had given to him, once he enquired into why he was not at the orphanage when the Hokage had attempted to locate him after the Akimichi incident. Sarutobi was shocked when he found out that the caretakers were regularly kicking Naruto onto the street at night and that Naruto was being forced to sleep in the forest surrounding the village.

As he walked he clutched the two new scrolls that he was given by his Jiji. Apparently, one was a control exercise, and the other was a jutsu that allowed him to maximise his chakra output so that it would be easier for the Hokage to find him if he was in trouble. Naruto, however, had a very different use for the Jutsu, and he was planning on mastering the technique as soon as possible. He was quite surprised when the ANBU had commented on his reaction time.

When 'Inu' was asked to report what he had seen he had replied:

"It was shocking Hokage-sama! Not only did he manage to replace himself with a plank of wood from over 100 feet away, he also did this whilst falling at roughly fifty meters per second. I thought that was incredible, but he also managed to manoeuvre himself into a position that would cause minimal damage if he was to hit the ground."

Naruto felt himself glowing on the inside. Not only did an ANBU say something about him, but also, it was something good! He would be sure to remember this 'Inu' in the future. Maybe he could give him some pointers with his chakra control and then he'd be able to tree-jump?

As soon as he got to his new apartment, he locked the door, chucked his sandals into a corner of the living room and unrolled the chakra control scroll.

Or maybe he didn't need any pointers after all...

Naruto's grin reached to the corner of his jaw, he rubbed his hands together in childish glee.

'Oh, this is gonna be good!'

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And CUT! There you have it! Bonus Chapter and it was longer than the other two! I really had fun writing this chapter because I had been waiting to use my 'Bungee-Jumping ninja style' idea for ages! This one just wrote itself. But GASP! What is the chakra control technique? (as if no-one is going to guess..) And what does Naruto plan to use this Jutsu for?

All that next time (If there is a next time :'(), on Konoha: Naruto's Playground!

PS: REVIEW FOR GOD'S SAKE; IT'S JUST ONE SMALL CLICK! EVEN A ONE WORD REVIEW WOULD LET ME KNOW THAT SOMEONE AT LEAST LIKES WHAT THEY ARE READING! A simple 'nice' or 'good', hell even 'bad' would be better than no review! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?


	4. Chapter 4

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Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly as he stared down at the mission report resting lightly in his hands. In front of him, stood three of the utmost trustworthy ninja in the Konoha ANBU ranks, as today, was a day of treason and treachery.

"Hebi, Itachi, you are totally sure that everything in this report is 100% accurate?"

The two young nin nodded their heads. This spelt bad things for the Konoha military. If it was so easy for someone to infiltrate their forces and remain undetected for so long, Sarutobi no longer knew how trustworthy his forces were. At least the three in front of him could be counted on.

"So let me get this straight; the recently promoted Chuunin, Mizuki, made contact with Orochimaru for the first time whilst on mission code FC1189. Incidentally, the third teammate of the Genin squad assigned to the mission died, and Mizuki returned as a loyalist to Orochimaru's rebel movement. Since then, he has avoided contact in order to prevent suspicion and had only now made an attempt to procure new orders?" Sarutobi frowned. Something didn't quite add up.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. We received a tip-off at 1800 hours last night from Chuunin Iwashi Tatami. He noticed Mizuki approaching an off-limits area that he was assigned to patrol duty. You'll find the details in the mission report for FC2767. ANBU squad D was called and we observed Mizuki making contact with an unidentified ninja. He had no credentials to support him being of another village; however he carried standard Shinobi equipment. We overheard their conversation, the details of which you can find in the report." It still amazed Sarutobi how Itachi managed to say all that without any change in either volume or tone.

'Poor boy, no-one should be forced to grow up so fast,' but then again, the Hokage was being faced with a similar problem with regards to a certain blond-headed pariah.

Turning back to the report he quickly scanned the page to find the conversation he was interested in, and narrowed his eyes at what had been discussed.

"_Here are your orders, don't reply, don't attempt to make contact and most of all don't tell anyone about this conversation. Orochimaru-sama will not be pleased if you fail in your task, so do not hesitate to remove anyone that stands in your way. Your objective is to obtain the 'Forbidden Scroll of Seals' located in the Hokage's office under a Genjutsu on a shelf to the left-hand side of the room. Once you have secured the scroll, move to sector 5 and await reinforcements. I cannot stress how important it is that you make no attempt to establish contact. If you get there, we will contact you..."_

Not good, not good at all. There were definitely other elements besides Mizuki acting with impunity here, but the whole thing definitely stank of Orochimaru. Few people knew where the scroll of seals was located, and although an A-class Genjutsu was used to hide it, the nature of the Genjutsu was such that only if you didn't know the location, it would be effective.

So definitely Orochimaru then.

It hit the venerable Hokage then what was making him uneasy. Why would Mizuki switch sides? What was his motive to join an infamous missing-nin like Orochimaru? He would find out, but right now, national security was at risk.

Striding to the aforementioned book shelf, Sarutobi released the Genjutsu on the scroll and moved it to the Yondaime's safe. Signalling the three ANBU to listen, he spoke in hushed tones.

"Inu, Itachi, Hebi, code 54 red. You know which Genjutsu that is, so apply a triple layer on the scroll before I shut the safe."

The three ANBU were inwardly shocked that Sarutobi had enough trust in them to place a Genjutsu on an object so important as to warrant a place in the Yondaime's safe. Nevertheless, they quickly made the handseals, and whispered in unison.

"Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu," the air above the scroll swirled until it was replaced by a folder. Sarutobi shut the safe and sealed it with his blood, before covering the door with a Genjutsu sheet.

"Now that that is out of the way, we need to neutralise this threat before it has a chance to move. Hebi, Itachi, your mission will be to eliminate the traitor Mizuki at once. He is not to make contact with anyone outside his home. I want him taken out before sunrise. You will also need to make sure he cannot escape from his house. I'll leave you to think up the most appropriate method." Next to them, the ANBU in the 'Inu' mask twitched slightly.

"It seems like you have something to say captain," the Hokage's senses were still very sharp after all.

"If I may make a suggestion Hokage-sama," at Sarutobi's deft nod, he continued. "I recently witnessed Uzumaki Naruto use the chakra beacon technique in a very unique way, and think that he would be the ideal solution to confining Mizuki."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at that. What could Naruto offer for this situation that the ANBU couldn't?

Taking that as his response to continue the elite ninja spoke again. "During my patrol of the Academy District last week, I encountered a large surge of chakra. I immediately noticed that it was the chakra of Uzumaki Naruto, as did you, Hokage-sama, and a few ninja who were on patrol nearby. It was not this that shocked me though. When I arrived on the scene, I noticed a phenomenon that I had never encountered before. Naruto was practising with the Chakra beacon technique and when he had let out the pulse, he managed to spread the beacon widely enough that I was unable to place his exact location. If he were to do this when Mizuki attempts to escape, the traitor will be hard pressed to guard his back and we should be able to eliminate him without trouble." To say that Sarutobi was surprised would be a gross understatement.

The control required to pull off the chakra beacon was practically non-existent. Shinobi had been using the technique for years as a useful locator on the field, and any ninja who had been present in the third Shinobi war would be able to pull it off without any trouble whatsoever. All you had to do was push your chakra out of your body as hard as you can and bingo, immediate beacon for any ninja, friend or foe, within the vicinity.

The thing about the technique though, was that you could not control your chakra once it escaped the body. In this way the Hyuuga were able to push their chakra out of specific points of their chakra circulatory systems, but that required a huge amount of control. Similarly it was possible to slow the flow of chakra to such speeds that you became invisible to surrounding Shinobi. But what Naruto had supposedly done, was to spread his chakra to every chakra pore in his body and release it at the same intensity as that of his chakra flow, and so in effect, cause Shinobi to become confused as to where his body was.

This was to say the least, very impressive. Seems like he had earned a few more techniques on his next meeting with the Hokage.

Smiling, Sarutobi nodded his head. It was a good plan. Even if Mizuki saw Naruto, he wouldn't be able to pinpoint where the beacon was coming from and it was very unlikely that he would suspect a 6 year-old child of being responsible for such a feat.

"OK, that's a good plan. In that case, Inu, you are responsible for this operation. Hebi, you are to find and recruit Naruto without letting him know of your true intentions. DO NOT allow him to find out that this is a mission. Make something up, I don't care, but he is not to find out that he is being used in such a way. Understood? Move out!"

With a crisp "Hai, Hokage-sama!" all three disappeared from the office. Sarutobi sighed. If Naruto found out...

It would not do at all.

XXXXXX

Naruto smiled happily. He couldn't believe his luck! That Snake-masked ANBU had said that she wanted to test his chakra beacon and tree walking abilities. And he knew it was a woman. No man had such a high voice!

He was giddy, and he knew it. He knew it would affect his performance in the upcoming test, but he just couldn't help it. He had been practising so hard in the half year or so since Hokage-Jiji had given him the 2 scrolls. To think that the Hokage had given him the very skill he wanted in the tree climbing control exercise, was the icing on the cake. He had swiftly learnt how to channel his chakra to his feet and run up walls. He enjoyed it so much that it was a common sight to see the blond-haired Jinchuuriki jumping from rooftop to rooftop as fast as his small legs could take him.

Shaking himself, Naruto remembered that he had a test to pass. It wouldn't do to mess this one up. The ANBU had told him to sit on a bench outside one of Konoha's Shinobi residence areas. It was one of the few places that Naruto had hardly ever been to within Konoha, and he couldn't help but notice how the buildings were far better than his apartment.

'Maybe there are good things about being a Konoha ninja...' Before he could think further on it though a puff of smoke announced the arrival of his 'examiner'.

"Alright kid, this is how we're gonna do things. I'm gonna be hiding up there and when I give the signal you're gonna use your Jutsu and I'll evaluate it." The masked nin pointed to a tree that was heavily shadowed about 10 meters from Naruto's position on the bench.

"Remember, you have to remain sitting on that bench and act as if you're not the one doing the technique. You understand my explanation for why that technique is so unique right?" Naruto nodded. He had been informed that by spreading his chakra he was, in effect, making it harder for ninja to be able to sense him. He already knew he rocked!

As the ANBU disappeared, Naruto couldn't help but think that he wasn't being told something. Why would this ANBU suddenly want to test him? It wasn't as if ANBU went around testing everyone they thought could do something 'unique' did they. Weren't they supposed to be like the super ninja in Konoha?

'Ah well, better keep my eyes open!' And with that, he plopped himself down on the bench and turned to stare at the living quarters in front of him. It was almost as if the ANBU had chosen this bench so that he was facing that building when he did the technique...

He quickly shook himself. It wouldn't do to fail this after so much hard work!

XXXXXX

Mizuki was scared. Scratch that, he was downright terrified. The first clue he had that something was very wrong was that he could sense 3 chakra signatures outside his apartment, and they didn't seem to be going away. Now usually that wasn't a cause for concern, it was a Shinobi residency area after all, but the thing that alerted him was that 2 of the chakra signature were definitely ANBU. ANBU had their own living quarters separate from the other residential areas, so that if any of them flipped out and went on a killing spree due to the stress of their missions getting to them, it was easily contained.

He had decided it was too risky to stick around, so without further ado, he gathered as much of his essentials that he could move on short notice, and prepared to leave.

Then everything went to hell.

XXXXXXX

Mitarashi Anko, Tokubetsu Jounin, codenamed 'Hebi' in the ANBU black ops, sat waiting for Itachi's signal. She spied the blond kid out of her peripheral vision as she watched the apartment door, senses stretched to their maximum.

He was a strange one, that Uzumaki Naruto. He could do things other people couldn't and he was still very innocent, she was hard-pressed to understand what the villagers saw in him that warranted their ostracism. As she snuck another glance at the kid, she remembered Sandaime's warning.

"_Hebi, you are to find and recruit Naruto without letting him know of your true intentions. DO NOT allow him to find out that this is a mission. Make something up, I don't care, but he is not to find out that he is being used in such a way. Understood?..."_

Anko grimaced. If the Hokage had worries about Naruto's state of mind regarding Konoha she didn't think it was a wise choice to have him on this mission. She knew what it was like to bear the brunt of the villagers' hate, and he wasn't the only one who didn't want to help the village. They were both being forced into it.

The thing is, nothing ever went to plan with ANBU missions. The reason they were ANBU was because they could adapt to any given situation and still come out on top of their opponents. If something went wrong here, Naruto would very likely find out that he was being used. And she didn't know how well that would sit with the Kyuubi kid.

She didn't have any more time to ponder the situation though, as the mission finally got started. It was just after midnight when Itachi's clone popped up beside the purple-headed ANBU.

"Target confirmed moving for the exit. Proceed with stage 2 at your discretion." The clone popped out of existence as quickly as it had come. Anko sighed. Well it was damned if you do, damned if you don't.

XXXXXXX

Mizuki knew the game was up. The ANBU had appeared in the hallway of his lodging and booted the door off its hinges in an explosive show of strength. As the splinters zoomed everywhere, colliding with the walls, Mizuki heard the monotonous voice that emitted from behind the elite ninja's mask.

"Ex-Chuunin Mizuki, you have been confirmed as a traitor to the Hidden Village of the Leaves. As per order of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, you are condemned to immediate execution." The morbid finality of the statement caused Mizuki's anxiety to rise. He was already forming seals before the ANBU had finished speaking.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu!" Mizuki replaced himself with a chair in the hallway and immediately made a break for the front door. He couldn't sense the other ANBU, maybe they had decided he wasn't worth two ANBU? He would show them! He could still sense the small chakra levels of the other person, but they were too low to be anything higher than Genin. It was most probably someone who wasn't involved in his execution.

Mizuki almost stopped in surprise when the small chakra was replaced by a much larger one right outside the door! Worst still, he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from! It was like a hundred Chuunin had suddenly appeared and spread themselves evenly outside the apartment complex, but that was impossible!

He had been so caught up in analysing the massive chakra signature in front of him that he had almost completely forgotten about the one behind him he was originally escaping from. It was only luck that saved him as he snapped his head round, barely missing the standard-issue ANBU katana hissing by the right side of his head.

If the blade had hit home, everything would have been fine. Alas Anko's suspicions were correct. Mizuki backpedalled into the front door, forming seals as fast as he could. He could either fight this ANBU here, or face whatever it was that was outside. He'd pick 100 Chuunin over an ANBU any day of the week. Slamming his hands into the door, he called out the best technique he had in his arsenal.

"Doton: Doryu Dango no Jutsu!" Mizuki tore the chunk of wood from the door and hurled it at the masked Shinobi, before throwing himself through the hole that he had made.

Mizuki immediately began running toward the border of the village. He had to get out as fast as he could, since he had been compromised. As he ran, he glanced about wildly, trying to find the enormous chakra signature that was choking the air. It was like he was being surrounded!

As he continued running he spied a kid dressed in black pants and a dark blue T-Shirt sitting on a bench. It was the Kyuubi brat! That was probably the cause of the chakra distortion he was feeling, although it looked like he was just sitting there. In any case his orders were to get rid of anyone in his way, so he snapped a kunai into his hand and got ready to throw.

Just as the kid looked up, his eyes widening, the traitor stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced down to see the point of a katana poking out of the front of his chest.

He knew he was dead.

In his last few breaths in the living world, he raised his head up and stared at the blond kid that thwarted him, as blood pooled behind his eyeballs, trickling out of his nose and the corner of his mouth. As he slipped off the blade he whispered his last word to the stunned kid.

"Demon..."

XXXXXXX

Damn, damn DAMN! Anko cursed herself over and over as she leapt down to where Itachi had pulled his sword from the traitorous Chuunin's back, splattering the blood all over himself and the blond Uzumaki. The kid looked like he was hyperventilating, staring wide-eyed at the blood splattered on his hands. He was visibly shaking, and Anko knew he would soon go into shock. It was only then that the Tokubetsu Jounin found that there was a much larger problem.

Naruto was still spewing the beacon technique like a fountain of water.

Not good, not good at all.

ZZZZZZZ

THE END. LOL! Just kidding people. As you can see, the reviews from yesterday gave me so much happiness that I went ahead and typed out a chapter almost double the length of the last one!

Hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed typing. Next chapter should be much lighter than this one, but we will begin to see Naruto's outlook on life. Just as things were beginning to look up for him too...

Anyway, small button = click = type review.

Simple, no?

Jutsu notes:

**Name:****Doton****:****Doryu****Dango****(Earth)** literally "Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling"  
**Type:** B-rank, Offensive, Short to mid-range (0-10m)  
**Users:** Jirobo

**Name:**Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu, literally "Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique" English TV "Sly Mind Affect Jutsu"  
**Type:** C-rank, Supplementary, All ranges  
**Users:** Kotetsu Hagane, Oboro


	5. Chapter 5

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Sarutobi strode with an agitated gait, as he rushed hurried through the hospital hallways. The report from the latest ANBU mission was damning to say the least. The mission was successful, yes, but the damage inflicted may far out-weigh the long-term potential gains of such an audacious move.

Naruto was in a highly volatile situation. He had witnessed the demise of the traitorous Konoha Chuunin Mizuki, and from the report, seemed to have realised that he had been used. Hebi herself, had reported in on the Jinchuuriki's status, and it wasn't looking good.

The professionals at the Konoha Central Hospital had concisely reported that the shock from such a revelation from one of the few people of trust to the boy was enough to seriously damage the psychological framework of his brain. Furthermore, he had expended a huge amount of Chakra, and Hebi was unable to get him to stop before he collapsed in Chakra exhaustion. The venerable Hokage didn't know what would happen to a Jinchuuriki that expended all of his Chakra.

But that hadn't been the worst thing, by a long shot. It seemed that the Chakra Beacon technique had some unforeseen abilities when one such as Naruto used it. After whittling down his own small Chakra pool, he had begun to draw on the Kyuubi's Chakra. As more of the volatile crimson energy was pulled out, the Jutsu maximised to even greater heights. What followed was a rush of murderous intent, so strong, that the entire village was once again brought to its knees by the sheer magnitude and hate.

'At least it wasn't directed at anyone,' but Hiruzen knew that that was no concession. The deluge of despicably loathing intent caused mass panic and chaos to spread like lightning through the village. The danger level was immediately upgraded to 'Code Red' emergency status and a contingency of ANBU had been dispatched to locate the source, as if nobody knew who it was. It was then that a stray thought struck Sarutobi.

'What if Naruto was able to control the effect of that technique?' It would truly become a formidable skill for a Shinobi to have.

Sarutobi shook himself, reminding that Naruto no longer had any care for becoming a Konoha Shinobi, let alone using those skills for the good of the village. They were in this situation because they had tried to force his hand. It was just typical that Minato's son would be the type to bite people in the back when confronted with such a situation.

Stopping outside room 47, the Hokage hesitated slightly before pushing the door open and walking inside.

Naruto sat on the surgical bed bound in bandages, from his head to his toes. If Sarutobi hadn't known the complexity and seriousness of the issue at hand, he would have laughed uproariously at the comical sight presented to him. Yet this was not a time for comedy.

"How are you feeling Naruto?" Sarutobi winced at how the question must have sounded to the blond-headed bundle of energy.

Naruto slowly turned his head to look at his grandfather figure. His sapphire eyes that usually sparkled with mischief and joy were dull and lifeless. His very expression spoke volumes of his psychological state, and Sarutobi was beginning to wonder if there was anything salvageable from this tragedy.

"I'm fine." His reply was curt. Not a good sign.

"I don't mean physically Naruto. How are you really feeling?" Sarutobi wanted to know his opinion on the events that had occurred the previous morning.

"Much better than that guy in the cemetery!" Sarutobi winced again. So he definitely knew they had used him then.

"Naruto, you have to understand. We needed that job done! It was for the safety of the village! Can you really put your own protection over those of-"

"Jiji! Don't trick me! Everyone knows that the villagers hate me! Why the hell should I protect them?

Why the hell should I even believe a single thing you say to me?"

The boy's heartfelt question pierced the Hokage's heart like a lightning bolt. Sarutobi was hard-pressed to say he understood the trauma that the 6 year-old was going through. The only person in the whole village, who may have been able to claim such a thing, was Itachi, and that was only if you got him to say something outside of his family time or missions. Sarutobi shook himself from his musings once again.

When the old Hokage finally responded to the blond, who hadn't looked away from, or even blinked at, his Jiji's lowered head; his voice had dropped to little more than a whisper.

"Because your father did."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and Sarutobi thought he saw a small spark revive in the blond's blue eyes.

"What?" Sarutobi knew that by affirming that, he was practically asking for trouble, but it seemed like the only way to get the boy out of his funk.

"I'm not going to tell you who your parents are. I hope you understand that we have reasons, your parents and I, why we are unable to tell you. But let me tell you one thing; your father sacrificed his life for this village, as did your mother." It was incredibly underhanded for the Sandaime to say such a thing when Naruto was in a trough of an emotional whirlwind, and yet he knew that it was his only chance if he was to diffuse this situation.

"I respected your choice to not become a ninja. I gave you the tools to protect yourself from the mindless hatred directed at you, and yet I never questioned your intentions Naruto. Are you questioning mine?" Sarutobi didn't stop to consider if that was a fair question to ask a 6 year-old. At the moment, all he could see was the Yondaime's sole remaining progeny, one of outstanding strength and resiliency; and it was then that the veteran Shinobi knew that Naruto would pull through this crisis.

"...Respect?" The word was spoken so softly that Hiruzen almost didn't catch it.

"You think you RESPECTED ME?You didn't respect me! You gave me the lamest skills that every ninja knows! You made me live in that orphanage for 5 years Jiji! I RESPECTED you! And you threw that in my face! You knew I didn't wanna be a Shinobi, and now look Jiji, I have blood on my hands..."

Naruto's voice fell to a whisper once again, like the small sound of a passing breeze on a warm summer's day.

"...I have blood on my hands." Sarutobi felt his heart wrench in his chest as Naruto raised his hands to look at them. His eyes were wide and trembling, and his whole body shook like a wooden training post as a look of pure grief and terror settled on to the child's face. Tears welled up and slipped over the edge of his eyelids, and he immediately scrunched his face up and buried his head in his hands.

"You think I'm stupid, don't you Jiji? You think I don't know about that bad red stuff inside me? I know that's why the villagers call me monster. I saw the colour of his blood and it was the same colour as that stuff." His whole body was shaking now, and Sarutobi was straining to hang onto every word that came out of his mouth.

"Why do you think I wanted to learn ninja techniques? To make myself forget about this..." He let forth a gut-wrenching sob.

"I wanted to forget this feeling. This...this...loneliness and sadness. I didn't want to be sad anymore. I didn't want to wake up in the morning with the picture of people shouting at me, or throwing things at me in my head over and over again. Can't you see why I don't wanna remember all this? CAN'T YOU SEE JIJI?" Naruto's eyes were beginning to bulge, red lines of tiredness and madness stretching almost to his iris. Sarutobi registered this as a bad sign.

He realised it then, what Naruto truly wanted. He had wanted it all his life, but had ruthlessly bottled it up in his heart for the sake of the survival of his sanity. It was also then that Sarutobi realised just how bad Jinchuuriki's lives could be. The pain and emotional suffering that a human could go through was epitomised by their existences and experiences. And Naruto faced all of that with very little support.

He was indeed his mother and father's son.

Sarutobi rushed forward and enveloped the youngster in a tight hug. He realised now what the boy had been trying to tell him these past 2 years. His happiness and joy was only a facade to hide the very nature of his existence hurting those around him. He was trying to shield everyone from the pain he felt from having no parents, from being scorned from nearly every direction and most of all, from his own anger and confusion.

But Sarutobi knew now.

He knew what his intentions were all along, he just didn't recognise them for what they were.

And damned he would be, if Sarutobi didn't support him.

ZZZZZZZ

OK, only a single scene here, but please remember that this chapter and the one before it were highly important for the plot. Next chapter will see another time skip and the tone should return to being light-hearted.

I feel that I should have comedy interspersed by drama in order to achieve the maximum effect for this story. When I watched Gintama and Code Geass, I realised that Studio Sunrise are truly one of the best 3 studios in Japan. When Gintama got serious, it totally slams every single Shounen anime into the dirt, and then goes back to laughing at them. Similarly Code Geass...I don't even have words to describe the ending of the second series. Hence why I am emulating their plot strategies for this fic.

Oh, and I may not be able to update for the rest of the week. I apologise, but I am very busy. You can expect more chapters next week though!

Hope you all liked it as much as I do! And please, do review! The more the merrier!

PS: REVIEW

Lol. MegaB out!


	6. Chapter 6

ZZZZZZZ

Naruto was stumped. Tree-walking was easy. He did it in 2 days. Water-walking was more difficult, it took him 4 days. But what he was trying to do now was causing far more trouble.

The question was, would it be worth it?

Tree-walking regulated Chakra to the feet, allowing a Shinobi to stick himself to the surface. One would need to regulate a constant flow of the blue energy to the hardest part of the body, the feet, in order to strengthen the muscles and cause the foot to adhere to the tree. Trees were used as they were generally the hardest surfaces to build up this adhesion, due to their rough yet solid bark.

Similarly, water-walking built upon the basis of regulating Chakra to ones feet, yet the principle behind it was quite different. The user had to constantly change the output of Chakra to match the change of the surface, i.e. water. Water was especially good as a training site as it struck a balance between viscosity and volatility. The thing about water-walking, was that when you needed to change direction you had to take into account how the water would move and how the Chakra would cause a spray.

Naruto had decided that, to maximise his training and enjoyment, he would ski...without skis.

He had watched Konoha villagers water-skiing using boats or hang gliders and he thought why not try a much more extreme version? He had Chakra to burn and the mind to use it...Although some people differed on the latter.

So, here he was attempting to propel himself forward by pushing an insane amount of Chakra out of his feet and ankles whilst trying to control his direction and balance at the same time. Suffice to say, the results were painful.

BOOM!

Naruto gingerly extracted himself from the latest indent he had bashed into the rock from his latest collision. Wincing, he stretched himself checking for any injuries. That arm was going to be tender in the morning...

Setting himself he got ready to try again.

With an audible explosion of Chakra, he rocketed forward, Water parting up and in-front of him creating a sparkling fountain of spray that caught the sunlight as it descended back to the river's surface. He was really enjoying himself this time.

The feeling of the water slapping his skin under the sun as he blasted his path through the mammoth sentinels of water on either side of him put him in a state of euphoria he hadn't ever experienced before. He stared ahead, looking in awe at the golden sparkle of the sun, its rays reflecting magnificently off the diamonds of water drops hanging in the air around him. It was as if he was in a tunnel of silver and gold, each complimenting the other in an unnatural balance that only something all-powerful could ever have created.

In that moment of introspection, he once again lost his concentration. It was too late for him to slalom around the smooth-curved rock that jutted out of the centre of the river.

With another deft boom, the blond-haired Jinchuuriki was lifted a sheer metre above the water's surface. With the wind from his ferocious speed dragging against his skin and the sound roaring past his ears, he yelled his challenge to the sky.

"WOOHOOOOOO!" And with that exclamation, after a good 3 seconds of hang time, he fell back to the surface with a resounding clap. His feet stinging and his body shaking from the adrenaline rush of the craziest move he had tried yet, he laughed uproariously.

"I have GOT to do that again!"

Alas, the wall didn't agree.

CRACK!

XXXXXX

Naruto was happy. It was the first and last thought on his mind at the moment. After a straight 6 days of practise, he had gotten the hang of the most dangerous sport he had ever decided to do. After the first 3 days of which the afternoon was always spent in the hospital, he had strengthened his resolve to steady his balance and get it right. He deduced that to do this successfully, as he had seen on the Konoha beaches, he needed a source of tension to aid his balance.

The conventional water-skiers were always attached by rope to something that was pulling them across the river. However, there was a fundamental difference between their way and his. He was propelling himself across the surface and so he didn't have anything to tie himself to. So he had decided that if he couldn't use something to speed him up to use for this tension, he would use something to slow himself down.

Hence, the 10kg rock that was tied to his waist with ninja wire.

Using the basics of physics, this had allowed him to balance himself by leaning back into the tensile force acting on his body due to the inertia from the rock, effectively lowering his centre of gravity and his speed, although the latter was only slight.

Cackling madly, he shot off down his makeshift water course before slamming into his 'quasi-ramp' of a rock and lifting himself airborne. It was fast becoming his favourite move, as the rush of the skiing with senses stretched to overload was suddenly replaced with a feeling of calm and solitude as he hung in the air. From his vantage point, he could see just beyond the edge of the waterfall that this particular river led to, the luscious green trees hanging down on either side as if inviting anyone to go through them.

Naruto had neglected to notice a very big part of physics though, and it would cost him, or rather, anyone who was unfortunate enough to be walking around near the river at this very moment in time.

You see, when a weight is tied behind a moving object, it moves at the same speed due to it having a physical bond to the momentum. However when the moving object stops or slows down, the tension in the connection falls and the object being pulled continues at the same momentum at which it was originally.

With an audible 'TWANG', Naruto glanced up as his 'axel-rock' went zooming over his head.

'Crap! I'm gonna get pulled along at this rate! It'll break me in half if I get caught in that!' And so, flipping out a kunai stored in his 3/4's, he sliced the connection between himself and the rock.

Naturally that meant the rock was no longer tied to anything.

The now unrestricted, airborne projectile zoomed away from him, angling out towards the tree line to the left of the river. Naruto heard a piercing shout before a solid 'thump' was heard and moderate amount of dirt and stone exploded into the air above the tree line.

'Ouch!' Naruto winced, 'that's gotta hurt...'

Quickly, he shot a burst of Chakra to his feet and sped to where the stone had disappeared beyond the trees. Shaking himself, he ran as fast as he could to see if he had hurt anyone.

'Please let no-one have died from that!' Hurrying to the crater he had spied, he noticed a black, human-shaped lump lying on the ground. Shouting in worry, the blond-headed daredevil ran as fast as he could to check up on his unfortunate victim. Damn! It was an Uchiha! Naruto recognised the white and red fan symbol painted to the back of this particular ninja's top.

"Mister, HEY MISTER! You ok?" Naruto began to panic when the guy didn't move.

It was an Uchiha alright. The same pale skin, tightly stretched to the bone like porcelain, allowed Naruto to identify the stranger with certainty. Anxiously dropping to his knees, Naruto placed his index and forefinger against the teenager's throat to see if he was still alive. He detected a faint pulse; the guy was alive, but unconscious.

Sighing in relief, Naruto sat back on his haunches and regarded the unfortunate victim. The stone had left a big bump on the left side of his head, just missing the Shinobi's eye. The projectile had no doubt crushed the Uchiha's left cheekbone and blood was running down the side of the nin's face.

If it had hit his eye...

Naruto shuddered. He didn't even want to think about what the Uchiha would try to do to him if he damaged one of their precious demon eyes. The clan would hound him wherever he went and they were bad enough as it was already, putting subtle Genjutsu on him to make him walk into things whenever they locked eyes with him. It was a disgusting trick, one they exploited when they noticed his obvious weakness in that particular field. He was beginning to become very careful about avoiding people's eyes when he saw that cursed symbol anywhere.

Nevertheless, he had to get this guy to the hospital, to make sure he didn't end up dying. Hoisting the limp body onto his straining shoulder, he began the arduous trek to the one building he hated the most.

Konoha Central Hospital.

XXXXXX

Itachi stared impassively at the scene behind his mask. He had missed his target due to unforeseen consequences. That was not good.

His master would be very displeased with this turn of events.

Narrowing his eyes at the blond Uzumaki, questions continued to rage in his head. The boy was strong, unbelievably so. If Itachi had to estimate, he would say the brat was at his level when he had been his age.

That would make him just above Chuunin.

But what he had seen earlier was unbelievable. The strength of mind and concentration required in controlling ones movement on the surface of the water going at that speed? It was hard. Something Itachi thought only a genius from the Hyuuga or Uchiha clans would be able to pull off. And this boy had done it in 6 days.

He had been assigned to watching the Uzumaki this week, and was rapidly changing his opinion of the kid. He was about Sasuke's age and yet, he was far more skilled.

But his mark had escaped, and that would delay things indefinitely. There would be no better chance than the one he had just missed, not to mention that his ultimate mission would also be postponed.

And that was by far a bigger and more important task. One that was reliant on his failed objective of the day.

Yes, his master would not be pleased.

At all.

ZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Chapter 6 all done! How's that for a return to normalcy, or what you could call it when attached to Naruto! GASP! What was that development at the end? Who was the knocked out guy? And what was Itachi's objective?

If you can guess, give yourself a cookie!

PS: I updated even though I said I wouldn't be able to. I had more time than I thought I would so be thankful people!

PPS: REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 7

ZZZZZZZ

Naruto waited anxiously in the lounge of Konoha's biggest and most famous hospital, Konoha Central Hospital. It was located next to the largest and most important building of the village, the Hokage tower, and it was rumoured to have been established by the legendary medic and one of the three Sannin, Senju Tsunade. The hospital had been founded some twenty years prior, which was fairly new in the village, as most of the buildings were the original ones built when Konoha was founded; especially this close to the village centre. War and Kyuubi had never reached this far in and so much of the infrastructure was the same as it had been since Konoha's inception.

Naruto peered forlornly out of the window. He wondered absently how it would have been if he had been born when the Village was first built. He wondered what the first and second Hokage's were really like. All he had to go on were the 2 faces carved into the stone of Hokage mountain, and that in his 6 and a half year old opinion, meant they looked like bloated frogs.

'I wonder what the Nidaime would look like with Akimichi swirls on his cheeks?' Grinning internally, he decided to save that thought for later. He may be able to cook up a plan or two that would let him know just what it would look like.

Kicking his legs under the plastic seat he was currently situated on, he turned to stare at the door to the examination room that the Uchiha he had knocked out had been taken to. Naruto dearly hoped that nothing serious had happened to him. It was bad enough that he was hated by almost everyone in the village without them resorting to physical violence, and this could be dire if news were to get out that he had hurt an actual Shinobi.

As he continued to stress over the current issue, the ANBU codenamed 'Inu' opened the door and stepped out. The stoic mask was turned in the blond's direction, but he didn't know if the elite ninja was actually looking at him or not. It was always kind of creepy for Naruto, seeing all these animal faced masks directed at him, yet not knowing to what exactly the sight of the person underneath was really directed.

Shaking himself from his rapidly derailing thoughts, he cleared his throat.

"ANBU-san, is that Uchiha OK?" Naruto waited for the response with wide, anxious eyes. The mask remained silent for a few seconds, which did nothing to reassure the blond-headed prankster.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Was it truly you who knocked Uchiha Shisui, a Shinobi of Jounin rank, unconscious?" The voice was almost as bad as the mask, Naruto thought unconsciously. He was in deep trouble now! The guy had been a freakin' Jounin! There was absolutely no point in trying to lie his way out, he was sure the ANBU had some technique that allowed him to detect lies.

"Err...Yeah. But it ain't what you're thinkin' ANBU-san! See, I was water-skiin' with my Chakra and I needed something to balance myself like the villagers do with their ropes. So I tied a rock to my waist, see, and it worked. Just I went too fast and when I stopped the rock went flying...and that guy just happened to be there...and it weren't my fault I SWEAR!" Naruto panted after speaking so fast for so long with hardly a pause.

The ANBU seemed to scrutinise him even more minutely after his ill-gotten explanation, and that made Naruto's nerves even more brital.

"Water-skiing." It was more a question than a statement and Naruto responded quickly.

"Yeah! See, Jiji gave me this scroll for water-walking and I decided to ski using it! I really didn't mean to hit that guy, honest! And please don't tell the Uchiha anything about this; I'll be dead by evening!" Naruto was about ready to run as far as he can without stopping, to be away from anything remotely close to the Uchiha, unless the ANBU put him at ease. At least on this occasion, the elite ninja was nice enough to oblige, although Naruto had a strange sense of awareness at that point that the Shinobi didn't want to turn him in anyway. He wondered at the reason for that.

"Uchiha Shisui is not dead, neither is he grievously injured. He has already recovered from this ordeal and seems to find much hilarity in the fact that he was bested by a flying stone. I will not be reporting you to the Uchiha, but I must report this to the Hokage. I will be going now." Pausing to regard the blond for a second, 'Inu' disappeared in a burst of falling leaves. In Naruto's relief-clouded mind, one thought stood out most.

'I have GOT to learn that technique!' Feeling much safer now that he had gotten out of harm's way, Naruto decided to offer his sincerest apologies to his unwilling victim. Pushing open the door to room 182, he sidled as quietly as he could into said Uchiha's current residence. As he walked in, he spied the Uchiha sitting up in the overly white Hospital bed with a slight grin on his face. Naruto thought that that was as good a sign as any, and decided to announce his presence.

"Hey Uchiha-san! I'm really REALLY sorry about what happened! You're alright right?" The teenager turned his head to regard the entree, and upon seeing the worried face of his aggressor, burst into laughter.

"AHAHAHAHA!" He then proceeded to gulp in air for his fit of hysteria and croak out, "done in by a stone! And by Uzumaki no less! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" To Naruto, the last of his inhibitions fell away. Anyone who laughed like that was a nice guy in his book.

"Well you see Uchiha-san, I was usin' that rock for my Water-skiin' and I kinda lost control of it. Goin' too fast I think..." Said Uchiha wiped his eyes from the tears of laughter that had been running down his porcelain skin. He seemed much calmer now that he had laughed so much.

"Ahh, no worries kid! I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I paid the price for it! These things happen. I just can't believe that the first time I get unintentionally knocked out was by a kid with a stone. That's just too much!" Naruto smiled at the boisterous reply.

"I was just scared that your family would come get me if you were hurt."

At that quiet admission, the Uchiha's mood turned sombre.

"No-one's going to hurt you kid. I'm not going to tell my family how I got knocked out. Frankly, it was worth it for the laugh!" But Naruto knew there was more to his explanation than that. Maybe he had more allies than he thought.

"Well, I'm glad you're OK. But I gotta go now Uchiha-san. Again I'm really sorry for what happened!" With a small wave of his hand, the Jounin dismissed the apology and smiled as the blond Uzumaki escaped his room. His expression turned melancholy as he contemplated his untimely injury.

That stone had been flying fast. Too fast to have been thrown, that was for sure. There was no way that he could have predicted such a situation and even he, the famed 'Shinkirou no Shisui', could not dodge such a fast moving and unpredictable projectile.

Just how had the kid managed it?

There was more to the blond Jinchuuriki than was common knowledge, and Shisui wanted to know more. Maybe Itachi would know, he had been assigned to watching the kid this week. With a start, Shisui remembered why he had been in that location. He needed to move immediately. There was absolutely no telling what was going on within the Uchiha at the moment, and he didn't know if he really wanted to know. He attended the meetings, yes, but many thought him untrustworthy due to his close friendship with the chronically absent Itachi, hence his mission to spy on his friend. The Uchiha wanted assurances of his loyalty.

But who would he choose? His Clan? or his brother in all but blood?

XXXXXX

Naruto literally skipped down the streets of Konoha as he made his way towards his apartment. He had been extraordinarily lucky today, and he didn't want to ruin the day by doing something stupid. He had gotten off scot-free and he was very happy at this moment.

So happy was he, that he didn't notice a slightly taller female figure approaching him as he mindlessly skipped down the cobblestone street in front of the hospital, so it was a shock when he smacked into something and fell backwards onto his behind with stars swimming over his eyes.

"OW! HEY what was that for..." Upon raising his head, he recognised his 'assailant' at the same time she recognised him.

"HEY You're..." They said at the same time with fingers pointed at the other. Noticing the absurdity of the situation, both burst out laughing as they regarded one another.

The girl was wearing black jogging bottoms, with a white T-Shirt. Her hair was done up in twin buns which reminded Naruto of the pandas he used to look at in his story books when he was younger. Her skin was very pale, almost as if she hadn't been out of a building in quite a while.

"Aren't you..." Again they both started simultaneously. With a grin, Naruto waved his hand at her to go first.

"You're that guy that used to get chucked out of the orphanage for coming home late all the time, Naruto right?" Naruto grimaced. That was not a nice memory, although thankfully, he never had to go back there again.

"Yeah, that's me! Ain't you that girl who volunteered to cook every night?" Naruto scratched the back of his neck. That wasn't a particularly distinct personality trait, but at their age he thought it was something weird. Why cook when there were adults there to do it for you? He hardly ever cooked and he was living by himself!

"What can I say, there were knives in the kitchen!" Naruto shivered as a memory hit him. Once he had been hungry and decided to check the orphanage kitchen for some food, he might be able to sneak something out when no-one was looking. As he entered the kitchen, something sharp and shiny flew by his head, burying itself into the wall right next to his ear. He remembered the manic smile of the girl in question and as he stared back at the present incarnation, the image of the past and present overlay each other. Naruto shivered again. This girl was SCARY!

"Right, well I'm s-sorry for b-bumpin' inta you, but I really gotta be gettin' home now, s-so I'll be goin' now.." And with that, he turned and began to jog in the opposite direction.

"Hey wait!" Naruto paused.

"Where did you go? I mean, it's been almost 2 years since anyone saw you! How come your not at the orphanage anymore?"

Naruto turned slightly to see the older girl on her feet with her hand outstretched. Honestly he didn't think any of the kids from the orphanage cared where he was. Once he had come home late at night and they had all stayed up to watch him get in trouble with the patrons. He had never had any friends there, and so he didn't know why this girl was asking him where he went.

"Why do you care?" He knew that came out snider than he meant it, but he couldn't take it back.

The girl visibly recoiled as if she was slapped. She remained quiet for a moment, almost as if she were considering the question.

"I didn't like what they used to do to you, if that's what you mean. I thought it was stupid that they would kick you out after you got in trouble for being out in the first place. I was always dragged along with the others, but I always thought that you should be able to do everything like everyone else."

It was his turn to look shocked. So someone did care about the treatment he had been getting. Well at least she wasn't one of the bullies then.

"Hokage-Jiji gave me an apartment for myself. I've been livin' there ever since."

The girl's eyes widened in shock at the familiarity with which the blond spoke of the Hokage, the strongest and wisest Shinobi in the village. She had been attending the ninja academy for as long as the disappearance of the blond and so had learned that the currect Hokage, the Sandaime, was known throughout the world as 'The Professor' for his knowledge and use of Ninjutsu. Distantly, she wondered why she hadn't seen the blond at the academy, surely he was attending?

"How come I haven't seen you at the academy then?"

Naruto shrugged. "Don't wanna be a ninja, so I didn't bother to sign up."

The girl looked visibly startled. He didn't want to be a ninja? Practically _everyone_ wanted to be a Shinobi after hearing about them all their short lives. TenTen was an orphan like Naruto, and so didn't have parents to tell her what being a Shinobi was like. Instead, all she had to go on were the legendary battles that all the kids knew that were told to them as bedtime stories. She really couldn't comprehend anyone not wanting to be a ninja.

"Look, it's gettin' cold and dark out here. You wanna come back to my house and we can talk about whatever you want there?" Naruto was getting tired of the conversation, and people were starting to stare at the odd pair. He was beginning to see the scowls of anger on some of the villagers' faces as they noticed just who the boy was.

"Umm, are you sure, I mean I don't want to cause trouble or anything!" The girl was looking more startled from before. Perhaps his offer had been rash, he hoped it wouldn't turn into an interrogation session.

Waving his hand, he replied "it's ok, don't worry. It's cold out here, and Jiji will get mad at me if I get sick...unless you need to get back to the orphanage?"

The girl blanched at that. She was in the academy! She was no longer that restricted anymore. "Alright, I'll come." And with that she jogged up to Naruto's side and they began the trek to Naruto's home.

"By the way I'm TenTen."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, right! I thought it was TonTon!"

XXXXXXX

In a dimly lit room, at the back of a gambling parlour of a distant town, a pink pig farted.

"WHAT THE HELL? THAT STINKS! GET OUTTA HERE WOMAN. AND TAKE YOUR STINKIN' PIG WITH YA!"

Tsunade of the Sannin grumbled as she was forced to vacate another gambling game, this time due to her shameful pet pig.

"TonTon, why the hell did you have to fart? And _what_ have you been eating? That really stinks!"

A dark haired woman next to the famous Shinobi snickered.

It was never dull with her Sensei around.

ZZZZZZZ

Chapter 7 finished! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter too! Especially the last scene with Tsunade and Shizune, I was grinning whilst writing that!

Anyway, 'Shinkirou no Shunsui' means 'Shunsui of the Mirage', again congratulations to the two who figured it out!

REVIEW and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

ZZZZZZ

It had been approximately half a year since Naruto had had his ill-fated meeting with one brown haired, panda-styled aspiring Kunoichi. The day that he had invited her back to his house to talk, she had ended up snoring on his couch and Naruto was loath to move someone who was so comfortable, especially someone who had experienced the harshness of the same orphanage he had been forced to endure. Somehow, TenTen had taken a liking to his apartment and began to live there, without any sort of permission from Naruto. He vividly remembered returning late in the evening from training one day, to find that the troublesome girl had barricaded herself in his bedroom after throwing most of his stuff into the hallway.

Since then, Naruto had been forced to give her his bedroom whilst his sleeping equipment became the couch and a spare blanket he had dug up from one of the storage cupboards. Retrospectively, Naruto was glad to have any sort of company, although he tried not to show it. It irked him whenever he saw how friends treated each other, playing and joking outside on the streets, and it was something that the blond Jinchuuriki had never really been able to experience.

And so, the bun-haired academy student became one of life's constants for Naruto. Apart from her dangerous love of all things pointy, she was generally a bouncy and interesting personality to interact with, which was portrayed in full on one trip to 'Ichiraku Ramen' earlier that year. TenTen had been happily mooching off a bowl of vegetable Ramen when a boy from her academy class had walked by. Evident by his pale, pupil-less eyes, the Hyuuga in question had taken a swift sneering glance in the girl's direction, before swishing his head and mumbling something that Naruto didn't quite pick up under his breath.

Quicker than a cat after a mouse, TenTen had flicked a kunai she had stowed in her black T-Shirt, at the arrogant youth, barely missing the top of his head.

"Try saying that to my face, emo-boy." And with that threat, the obviously shaken boy, although he tried very hard to retain his stoic demeanor, scowled and hurried off in whatever direction his destination lay.

Naruto had also been forced to watch out for stray kunai. The bun-haired girl loved to throw the things around, and it was fast becoming her favourite pastime to use Naruto as her target. When the Sandaime had found out about Naruto's new apartment companion, he was pleasantly surprised that the boy had finally made a friend around his own age. The Hokage had been quick to notify the orphanage that TenTen would not be returning there as she had found a new home, and could only hope that Naruto's psyche would take a huge boost from this positive development.

Naruto, himself, had progressed quickly. After the Uchiha Shisui incident, Sarutobi had enquired as to how he had managed such a feat, and upon learning Naruto's astounding level of mastery of the water-walking control exercise, had bestowed the Namikaze legacy with a few new scrolls. Naruto had almost salivated when he had seen the titles; there was one technique for each of the main elemental affinities. The sixth and final scroll, was the last of the basic Chakra control techniques, and the Sandaime was sure that even if he hadn't given the 'Air pads' scroll to the boy, he would have figured it out himself, especially after he had heard that Naruto could do the same thing on water.

It was possible to concentrate a large, dense amount of chakra to the feet, and cause the body to hover slightly off the ground. This did not mean that a Shinobi could fly, as no-one had ever had the Chakra capacity to push such a large amount of chakra out of the soles of their feet for a constant amount of time. There were a few instances in history, where a budding Jounin had tried just such an idea, and had ended up dead from Chakra exhaustion, or from blood loss due to blowing their feet clear off their bodies. Not a nice way to die that was for sure.

In any case, it made tree jumping a whole lot easier, as a ninja would be able to propel themselves forward as they jumped, in short bursts. Air was far harder to control than water was, as it was far more volatile, and so this made for an excellent Chakra control exercise, before moving onto elemental control.

Naruto had spent 4 months learning two of the offensive Jutsus and the 'Air Pads'. He had managed the Goukakyu and the Daitoppa, but was nowhere near close to mastering them. Of the other Jutsu, the Suiryudan, Shinju Zanshu and Hibana were all out of the 7 year old's reach, but he was determined to master them as well.

Naruto, had, in the last 6 months, observed TenTen going to and from school each day. He was curious to know how much stronger the academy students were than he, and upon asking his flatmate, she had replied that they hadn't really learnt anything.

"_Really? I mean you haven't even learnt the Henge or the Bunshin?" Naruto exclaimed in shock._

_TenTen looked visibly startled._

"_How do you know about those techniques? We've only just started learning them and we've been at the academy for 2 years!" Obviously there was something very wrong with the academy._

"_Umm, TenTen, do you listen in class?" Said girl sweat-dropped at the question._

"_Of course I do! What's that supposed to mean anyway?" Seeing that she had taken his innocent question slightly offensively, he quickly explained himself._

"_Well, I'm not goin' to the Academy, but I learnt the Kawarimi and Henge techniques ages ago!" Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. That couldn't be right, could it?_

"_Wait, WHAT? You can do Ninjutsu? Since when? I mean why the hell would you want to when you don't even wanna be a Shinobi?"_

_Naruto was taken aback by the question. He knew it would eventually come up, but when TenTen hadn't asked him the night she had come round, he thought she didn't really care._

"_Well ya see, people used to try and attack me sometimes, and don't ask me why 'cause I don't know either, so Jiji gave me some scrolls to let me defend myself." After 2 weeks, TenTen had slowly accustomed herself to Naruto's familiarity with the venerable Hokage. She recognised that they had a strong, almost familial bond and so she no longer thought it odd when he referred to him with such easy-going terms._

_Eyes wide in anticipation, she immediately asked the first question on her mind. "Scrolls? Wait...Naruto can I see them?"_

_Shrugging, Naruto stood and retrieved 3 scrolls from his battered bookshelf. Re-seating himself, he rolled the techniques over to his friend._

"_Those are the Bunshin, Kawarimi and Henge techniques. I've already learnt them so you can go ahead and keep them, although I could never pull off the Bunshin. Maybe you'll be able to do it?"_

_The girl's eyes shone almost with the same intensity as when she hit a bullseye with her kunai. Scooping them up, she ran to her room and slammed the door._

_Naruto probably wouldn't get any sleep that night if the shouts of "Bunshin no Jutsu!" were any indication._

The two had fast become close friends after that. Although Naruto thought TenTen was practically his sister, he refrained from calling her 'onee-chan' for fear of upsetting her. Family was a touchy subject to most orphans, as Naruto could attest to himself.

Once TenTen had caught on to the fact that Naruto was a better ninja than anyone at the academy she had not stopped badgering him to come to the academy to teach some of the idiots there a lesson.

"_Seriously!" She had begged, "Just once! You can beat this emo-guy up and then leave. It'll be really funny!"_

Naruto had tried to shoot down every one of her attempts, the kids always bullied him before, what difference would there be now? And there was no way in hell he was going to join the academy! After 5 months of constant pestering, TenTen had finally gotten the blond-headed boy to agree to attend one day with her, but only after she had explained how many different opportunities there were for pranks at the school.

And so Naruto awoke at 6 AM on a Monday morning, ready to cause mass mayhem at the one place he swore he would never set foot in.

'At least,' he thought, 'it won't be a waste of breaking a promise'.

'Oh yes, the whole academy will cry today...heh, even TenTen, although her tear's will be from laughing so hard!'

XXXXXXX

Pure chaos had erupted that day at the academy. The Chuunin Senseis had arrived that morning to find their classrooms in a state that suggested the academy had been hit by some extremely localised hurricane. Not a single room was left untouched. Chairs and tables lay overturned, rude words chalked on every blackboard and in one classroom; the tap of a corner sink had been turned on fully and left to flood the room.

For one Hyuuga Neji, all this was but a trifling matter. It would not do for one as prestigious as him to lose his cool over something as petty as a closed-minded prankster. He sat with an intense expression on his face, staring resolutely at his Sensei, Miamura Hokairo. The Chuunin was currently attempting to dry up his desk after having spent half the day teaching out in the courtyard due to his submerged classroom. Miamura looked decidedly agitated that not only had the academy been turned upside down, but also, the culprit had not been found. It was most perplexing that no-one had seen anyone out of the ordinary, and with the level of destruction he had witnessed, it was impossible for any of the students to have managed it.

Neji 'humphed' mentally at the stupidity of it all. 'Calls himself a ninja, and yet even the children of the Hyuuga branch house acted with more maturity and decorum.' He didn't even stop to ponder just how ridiculously hypocritical it was for him to think that. Of course he wouldn't be saying that if he knew what was about to happen to him.

Even the stoic Hyuuga would be running away screaming at the top of his lungs.

XXXXXX

Of course, for one, TenTen, this day had been the most eventful and memorable day in her decidedly short life. She had witnessed the total annihilation of all things orderly in a few short hours, and all it took was some ninja wire, a few traps and a well aimed kunai. Obviously, when Naruto had suggested his plan for the day, she had taken the kunai role for herself. It was a kunai for god's sake!

And so here she sat, trying not to laugh like a lunatic in the midst of the 'war-zone' whilst she contemplated 'emo-boy's' approaching demise. She had thought Naruto was good at Shinobi techniques when she had found out how many techniques he knew.

She had been very, **very** wrong.

He wasn't just good.

He was a genius.

But not the sort that many people thought of when associated with that word. Naruto was not book-smart. He couldn't understand half of an adult conversation. Neither could he put anything but the most basic statements to use, and seemingly, if the scrolls the Sandaime had given him were any indication, the Hokage had noticed this too.

No, Naruto was amazing in his application of said techniques. He could take something so basic, and twist it into something so different that not only would you wonder if he had created an entirely new technique, but also if his head was screwed on correctly.

For instance, he had just shown an astounding ability to combine the water walking technique with the Henge. By modulating his chakra with the air around him he had caused the Henge to disguise himself as air! He could still be detected from his Chakra signature and if someone got close enough to touch him, but the former problem was resolved when he used the Chakra Beacon technique in order to mask his true location.

Oh, everyone knew there was an imposter on the academy grounds today, but nobody knew where it was, although it was definitely in Miamura-Sensei's classroom. Hence, why Miamura-Sensei was so edgy. Anything with a Chakra signature that large could very well be a problem for him! It was decidedly Chuunin level after all!

TenTen, stared at the back of Hyuuga Neji's head, waiting for the fireworks, and sure enough as Miamura-Sensei left the room to report that the Chakra signature hadn't moved but all was well, a small stream of fire seemingly appeared out of thin air and lit the elitist Hyuuga's 'oh so precious!' hair on fire.

TenTen cackled so loud, that everyone including an oblivious Neji, turned to stare at her as if she had sprouted a Ninken's head out of the one she already had. Tears streaming down her face, she managed to raise a trembling finger at the Hyuuga prodigy.

"Emo-face...ahaha...heh...your...ahahaha...AHAHAHAH...y-your hair's on fire..." After that exclamation, she tumbled off the side of her chair, rolling with manic hilarity, before gasping for breath and pounding on the flooring in mirth.

The Hyuuga snorted. Pfft, as if anyone could light his beautiful hair on fire! The hair he spent 30 minutes grooming into the fitting Hyuuga style of perfection. That was, until another classmate turned from watching the currently indisposed kunai-lover and gasped.

"Umm, Hyuuga-san, your hair really is on fire." Neji felt in then; the searing heat that began to permeate his scalp.

It took a moment to register in his rigorously trained mind that he was on fire, as in, actually burning.

As in, him, Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of the Hyuuga branch house, was flaming in the middle of a –

WOODEN CLASSROOM!

Screaming like a little girl, the branch-house prodigy bolted up and ran to the overflowing sink whose tap had been hastily plugged due to someone gluing it in the 'maximum on' state. Dunking his head in the most unsightly manner into the overflowing basin, he put the fire out before sighing and groggily extracting his sopping cranium from the sink.

TenTen had by now, slightly recovered from her bout of hysteria, and upon seeing the state of the half-burnt and soggy Hyuuga's hair which had smoke curling from the burnt and ragged split ends, once again burst into uncontrolled laughter. This time as she fell off her chair, the poor furniture snapped due to the sudden shift in weight, and she tumbled to the floor laughing all the while.

Hyuuga Neji was not amused. His hair was wet and ruined, and there was no-one to Jyuuken into next Monday.

He settled for going home with dignity.

That is, screaming and crying.

XXXXXXX

As Naruto left the Academy grounds that day with a broad grin on his face, he wondered absently if this is what every day would have been like if he had decided to attend the academy. He knew subconsciously that it wouldn't have been anything like what had happened today. For one he wouldn't have learned the stuff he did in order to pull off 99% of what he had done, and so he resigned himself to simply supporting TenTen on her way to becoming a Genin instead.

As he turned off the road that the academy was situated on, he bumped into someone roughly around his own age.

"Hey watch where you're going!" Naruto stepped back in surprise. The guy looked sort of like Shisui-san.

"You're an Uchiha." It was more a statement than a question. The boy looked taken aback for a second before he regained his composure.

"Yeah, I am. So what? That means I'm better than everyone else!" Naruto instantly glared at the boy after his admission. And to think that he thought the guy might be like Shisui!

"Well sor-ry mister Uchiha! I'm sorry I dirtied your spotless clothes!" This was definitely not the ending that Naruto wanted to his fine day.

Noticing the jab the blond Jinchuuriki had made at his dishevelled state, the young Uchiha scowled. It wasn't his fault he had gotten dirty from his training! What would a civilian know about being a ninja anyway? As a ninja, he was an elite of society, and as an Uchiha he was practically royalty to them!

Naruto saw the anger and arrogance flit across the face of the boy in front of him and knew that it would be quickly followed by violence. And so he decided to end the stand-off in a decidedly Naruto-ish fashion.

By burping in the Uchiha's face.

"BUUUURRRRRP!"

The Uchiha's nose immediately scrunched up as it was saturated by the deluge of foul-smelling gas that spewed from the blond's mouth. As his mind attempted to comprehend just what was assailing his senses, all notion of his surrounding temporarily vacated his mind. Naruto, on seeing his opponent's pre-occupation with his chemical warfare, took this as his cue to leave. Pushing a moderate amount of Chakra to his feet, he launched himself into the air, spraying the prideful youth with a smattering of mud, dirt and stones. To add insult to injury, as he landed on the nearest rooftop he shouted;

"SMELL YA LATER!"

And with that he took off running at top speed towards his apartment.

It was a further 5 minutes before the Uchiha realised just what his aggressor had said, and in his rage, he swung his head in every direction, attempting to locate the source of his ire. If he **ever** saw that blond-headed idiot again, he was going to **murder** him.

"Sasuke, what are you doing and – OH! What's that smell?" Sasuke's head whipped around and his body jolted as if struck. His academy Sensei, Umino Iruka, had been approaching the corner of the street and now stood with a look of slight surprise and disgust on his face. His eyes wide, like a rabbit caught in headlights, he bolted for the Uchiha District and a change of clothes.

It would only be another few hours before the young Uchiha realised that his blond-haired enemy had used Chakra in his jump, and it would cause him to have a sleepless night angrily pondering how a civilian could do something he could not.

Just who was that blond anyway?

ZZZZZZZZ

CHAPTER 8 is finished!

Ninken means 'Ninja dog', it's reminiscent of Kakashi's summons.

A few notes on the Jutsu mentioned in this chapter:

Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu: Yes, Naruto used this on Hyuuga Neji. It is the Grand Fireball Technique.

Fuuton: Daitoppa: The Great Breakthrough Technique. A moderately powerful offensive wind technique that Orochimaru uses to blow Naruto away in the 2nd stage of the Chuunin exam.

Suiton: Suiryudan: Water Dragon Technique. Kakashi vs Zabuza. 'Nuff said.

Doton: Shinju Zanshu: Inner-Decapitation Technique. Kakashi uses this against Sasuke in the graduation test.

Raiton: Hibana: Lightning style: Spark. It's a Jutsu that generates a small but concentrated spark of electricity between the middle and forefingers. It is devastatingly efficient when used to knock someone out, but hardly ever results in death. I made this up. If anyone knows the real name, tell me and I'll change it.

Oh and Naruto's application of combining the Henge and Water-walking exercise? Yes, Jiraiya had actually invented this before, so I decided to have Naruto use it.

That's all for now, but please REVIEWS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF THIS STORY! So please donate generously!


	9. Chapter 9

I want to start a new section in my author notes, namely, story highlights! In order to spread the word on all of the well written fics on , I will be advertising one or two stories every chapter. This instalment's stories will be 'For the Love of my Friends' by Foxie-sama and 'Time and Again' by KyLewin. They both share the same premise of Naruto going back in time, but they are highly original in and of themselves. Alas, Foxie seems to have disappeared and we are left to lament the loss of one of, if not the best author to ever grace this site. Seriously, if you haven't read her story, what are you doing in the Naruto section?

Similarly, KyLewin built from Foxie's mistakes and his fic has become one of my favourites. His writing prowess is nothing short of amazing, and at the moment it is at a part I really hate him for leaving a cliff-hanger!

ZZZZZZZ

It all started when TenTen decided to 'illuminate' Naruto with regards to birthday parties. Three weeks had passed in ablur of laughter and fun for the 2 pre-teens, since the academy fiasco. They had become nigh inseparable as a bond of mischief and camaraderie had formed between them. So when Naruto had mentioned in passing that he had never experienced a birthday party, TenTen decided to educate him, by using her own birthday as an excuse.

It had started out like normal. They had awoken that morning to a beautiful summer's day, birds chirping and a slight breeze wafting in through the windows of Naruto's apartment. TenTen had been a ball of excitement and energy from the moment her eyes had opened, she would never reveal to her blond-haired companion that this was her first birthday party too; she wanted both of them to enjoy it as much as possible and so didn't want to ruin the airy atmosphere that had been built up in the days leading up to the occasion.

Naruto had woken up slightly earlier than the bun-haired girl and proceeded to pour out 2 bowls of cereal and 2 glasses of orange juice, ready for both as soon as TenTen made her way down. TenTen was surprised by this action, but was happy that he had thought to do this for her, it made her feel special and for one such as them, it was an extraordinary feeling. After breakfast and clearing the small kitchen table situated in the middle of the living room, Naruto brought out a hastily wrapped package, decorated with orange and green wrapping paper. TenTen squealed when she saw it and ripped the present apart to reveal a pair of ceremonial daggers decorated with a twisting emerald dragon that made its way from where the handle met the blade, to the very tip of the dagger. It was beautiful, yet simple, and the young girl's breath caught in her throat as she studied the sparkling design.

"You like pointy things right? I thought you would like them 'cause it's pointy see?" Naruto scratched the back of his neck as he confessed his intention.

After a heartfelt 'thank you' they huddled together to plan what they would be going for the rest of the day.

"Well I'm definitely skipping school today! Let's do something fun!" TenTen was literally skipping at this point. Naruto was an incredibly unique person and so whatever he came up with was bound to be exhilarating and dangerous.

"I've already set something up so let's go! Oh and we need to make a stop at the Higurashi's before we get there OK?"

TenTen nodded enthusiastically. There was no doubt in her mind that the daggers had come from the Higurashi Weapon store, and she was always excited about what new weapons came in every day. For Naruto, however, he needed something for his newest idea that he couldn't possibly find anywhere else. There wasn't likely to be a place that would have what he was looking, let alone one that wouldn't throw him out!

So with that, the two youngsters readied themselves to move out. If only TenTen knew what Naruto had in store for the day...

XXXXXXX

Entering the Higurashi Weapon store, the two began to look around the aisles, Naruto for the last component of his plan and TenTen out of interest. The owner of the store regarded them for a moment before hailing them.

"Yo Naruto! And is that the TenTen you keep telling me about?" Higurashi Naoto was a large muscular man. He was heavy set, with a square jaw and bulging biceps accentuated by his sleeveless white tank top. You could see the jet black tattoos that had been grafted onto his skin and the image gave him a very resilient look.

"Hiya Higurashi-san! Yeah this is TenTen! She loves all your swords and stuff!"

At Naruto's enthusiastic reply, the middle-aged weapon smith regarded the petit bun-haired girl with a critical eye. There were so few ninja these days who really valued weaponry, but according to Naruto, this girl had a thirst and excitement that one could only expect from a true weapons user. The feeling was usually regarded as something a Samurai shared with his sword; it was definitely a rare thing to see in this modern day.

"Well, what did you come here for gaki? You bought those daggers yesterday didn't you? Why didn't you just get what you needed yesterday instead of wasting another trip?" At that proclamation, TenTen stared wide eyed at the shopkeeper before directing her unnerving gaze to her companion.

Ahh! So the daggers had been for the girl. The smith grinned to himself. Young Naruto had found a friend, or so it seemed. Again, he regarded the surprised girl. If her enthusiasm was anything to go by coupled with this new piece of information he had gleaned from her reaction, she probably felt the same way as he did with regards to weaponry. However, Naoto wanted to be sure before doing something he would later regret, and so he decided to question her intentions a bit.

"TenTen was it? How did you like those daggers?"

Said aspiring Kunoichi's head whipped round to stare at the shopkeeper once again. It was almost comical that her expression had not changed in the least since she had found out where Naruto had bought her birthday present from. Shaking herself from her reverie she replied excitedly.

"They were really pretty! The light shines off the dragon making it sparkle in a really mysterious way! Look!" To drive home her point, she pulled one of the daggers from her right pant's pocket with a flourish, and waved it back and forth slowly under the large man's nose.

"Wow, wow, slow down there miss! If you wave them around you might hurt somebody! I can see what you mean, the reflection of the light causes the green pattern to distort and it looks like the dragon is writhing on the blade." TenTen nodded boisterously. She didn't notice Naoto studying her again as she was too preoccupied with the blade in her hands.

Naoto caught the shine in her chocolate coloured eyes as the light reflected off the blade and onto her iris. It gave the young girl's eyes an ethereal glow as the emerald mixed with the brown of her orb, glowing with the luminosity of the sun's light streaming through the windows. She had a thirst for weaponry, that much the elder weapon maker was sure about, and his resolve was further strengthened when he caught the expression of awe and admiration that the girl held as she ran her finger down the dragon pattern and across the edge of the blade. So great was her concentration, that she didn't even notice that the dagger had cut into her finger as she had done so, and Naoto knew that the apprentice he wanted, no, NEEDED was right in front of him.

For many years since his Shinobi career had ended, he wondered how he would pass on his skills in weapon making to the next generation. He knew that his expertise was too valuable for Konoha to lose, and yet he had no family nor was he married. He had kept an eye out for a suitable apprentice and went young Naruto had first burst into his small store; he had thought a new prospective student had appeared. Of course, after spending some time with the boy, his hopes had been dashed when he found that the Jinchuuriki had no interest in weapons, other than throwing them at things.

Naoto was loath to treat the boy like the other villagers though. He, the Sandaime and Hatake Sakumo had been there when they had selected Namikaze Minato as the Yondaime and the three friends knew that when the golden-haired Hokage did something, he did it to perfection. His evidence for this was during the last great Shinobi war when all thought Konoha had lost. Morale was low amongst the troops and Iwa's force dominated the battlefield due to their overwhelming presence.

Yet, Minato had promised that he was working on a technique to end the war. Everyone was pestering him to use it, but he had vehemently shot all of them down, stating that he would not use it until he was sure it would work. And then on that fateful day, Sakumo had resigned himself to death and had declared that the Konoha forces under his command would make a final push in an attempt to break Iwa's frontline.

As the brave warriors in the contingent had slammed like a battering ram into the Iwa platoon, hope blossomed in the minds of their men; the tide of battle seemed to change in that instant as the ferocity of the counteroffensive speared through vanguard of Iwa's frontline. But that too had changed, and the Rock's techniques on practically their home terrain shifted the battle favour once again in their direction.

Naoto remembered the utter despair that had gripped his heart in its iron clutches, as he realised that the fight was lost.

Konoha was lost.

But then it had happened. A single scroll had been thrown high into the air from the Konoha camp and Naoto distantly recognised it as a sealing scroll. It soared across the battlefield and every Shinobi, enemy and ally alike, had gazed up at the object, the fighting temporarily forgotten. In a dramatic fashion, the scroll had unrolled itself as it was buffeted by the wind, blocking out the sun temporarily, and in a puff of smoke, Naoto spied a hail of weaponry falling to the ground around all of the combatants.

Minato didn't even wait for his tri-pronged Kunai to hit the ground. As soon as they were at head height, he initiated two of his techniques that in conjunction, made his legacy feared throughout the entire Shinobi world and hailed him as the most devastating ninja in the history of man.

Naoto could hardly comprehend, that within a 30 second lull, the entire Iwa force lay decimated, bodies strewn about the battlefield. What shocked him to his core was that there was hardly any blood, yet the Iwa Shinobi were most definitely dead.

And then he had turned to see a sight that would be etched into his memory until the day he would die. Among the fallen bodies of Konoha's enemy, a golden flash signified the arrival of a single Shinobi . His Hitai-ate ends and his cloak tail flapping in the wind, accentuating the flame pattern sewn into the bottom of his coat. Sunlight glinted off his golden-blond hair as it swayed to the breeze. Both his arms were pointed downward at his sides with his right arm slightly further away from his body than his left, Naoto regarded the young man in shock as the last ocean blue spirals of his legendary Rasengan faded away and he turned his head slightly to the side. And in that brief moment, the weapons specialist witnessed the sapphire sparkle of the ninja's eye as he stared at the devastation around him.

After seeing Naruto, the son of the greatest ninja period, he had thought that maybe that same glint would carry over to his son, but as he looked at the weapons in Naoto's store, the ex-Shinobi instinctively knew that it wouldn't be in weaponry.

And so, with a heavy heart, he had given up ever passing on his skills, even at the Sandaime's insistence that the Village could not afford to lose such a thing. But now, he had found exactly what he had been looking for all these years, and he didn't intend to let it escape.

"TenTen, how would you like to learn all about these weapons?" The question came out hesitantly, but Naoto knew deep down, that it was because he was afraid of rejection. He was afraid that the only link that had appeared would disappear as fast as it came. His fears, however, were unfounded, and if it was possible, TenTen's eyes would have widened even further than the already were.

She let out a small gasp, that sounded like a "What?" but Naoto couldn't be sure. After a small gap in which the young girl had gone incredibly still, the shop suddenly burst into motion.

Naruto, who had been searching the displays for what he was looking for, was startled at the gasp and his head snapped around so fast that the ex-Shinobi almost winced and the whip-like crack that was given off. TenTen began jumping up and down screaming "YES!" over and over again. The weapons maker's mouth twitched upwards in a small smile as he committed the scene to memory. His first apprentice was definitely one to remember.

Attempting to hide his relief, Naoto briskly straightened and spoke calmly and clearly.

"Excellent! If you wish to learn about all things pointy, be here after the academy every day and we will continue from there. Now Uzumaki, what are you looking for?" Naruto stared at the muscular man like he had said something weird. Since when did Higurashi-san call him 'Uzumaki'?

Shrugging it off as another weird quirk of the crazy 'knife-man', Naruto told him what he had come for.

"I'm looking for a 1 metre length of 'A-grade' rubber, in the form of a rope." It was Naoto's turn to look at the other with a strange expression. 'A-grade' rubber? The boy must know that 'A-grade' rubber stretches up to ten times its original length, so why would he want it?

"I don't currently have that high grade rubber, but I have got 'A half'. Maybe you would like a slightly longer piece of 'A half' instead? It should do the same job though, whatever it is you want to do with it." Naoto continued to stare at the blond-haired boy with an unreadable expression.

Naruto took a minute to consider the proposal. Could it work? With 'A-grade', the strength of the rubber was definitely enough to withstand the kind of force he was looking to put on it. 'A half' would be slightly less resilient, and a longer piece meant less resilience.

'Ah well, won't know till I try!' And with that thought, Konoha's pariah purchased his last component of the day and both kids left the shop with a smile on their faces. One smiled due to a prospective future, but the other smiled for an entirely different reason.

And when Naruto smiles, something cries.

XXXXXXXX

TenTen gaped at the impossibility of what Naruto's birthday event actually was. He wanted to slingshot into the sky and then get TenTen to catch him. The process would then be repeated by herself and Naruto would catch her.

"Well, unless you're scared and you don't wanna do it. Then we can cancel and go do somethin' else! Whatever you want!"

TenTen was in a quandary. It looked like it had taken a while to set up the huge contraption, and if she said no, it would be a total waste of effort on his part. No, she would do this, and GOD it looked like it would be crazy-fun!

Naruto had tied a huge trampoline horizontally to two trees at the edge of a clearing with ninja-wire. The whole thing looked quite secure, but if TenTen hadn't found that absurd then what he did next was downright nuts!

The rubber he had recently purchased had been tied to the centre of the trampoline and the other end hooked to Naruto's waist.

"See, what we gotta do is stretch the rubber as far away from the trampoline as possible and then let go. We will be pulled back into the trampoline and it will bounce us back out again. When the rubber gets stretched fully again, we unhook it and pitch these two rubber hooks at those trees" he raised his finger and pointed at two trees that stood parallel at the other end of the clearing.

TenTen gaped even harder. That was almost 300 meters from their current position. If that was to happen, the rubber would curl around the trees and fling them into the air...

"EXACTLY!" Naruto had been watching her face to see if she had figured it out. "And that's why I need you to catch me. Now 'cause this is 'A half' and not 'A-grade' rubber, I dunno if it will hold up, so I'm gonna try it first, and if it's safe then you can have a go too!"

TenTen tapped the side of her head thoughtfully. If she was truthful with herself, the idea was downright lunacy, yet there was a small thrill of excitement that went up her spine as she thought about how it would feel to experience the 'ride'. She had wanted a memorable first birthday after all!

"Alright, let's do this 'Ruto!" Naruto stared bug-eyed at the new nickname, but ignored it as he began to stretch himself out. When the rubber was taught and he could go no further, he crouched down to stabilise himself lest he get pulled back when he wasn't ready. The tensile force was so strong that his body was shaking with the exertion of trying to stay where he was. Giving a thumbs up to the birthday girl. He released his hold on the ground and the rubber sprang back, pulling the 7 year old along with it.

As Naruto's back hit the trampoline, time slowed down for him as the plasticky surface mushroomed inwards from the impact. With a sharp 'TWANG' he was thrown back out, and he released the hook from his waist as he shot off down the clearing towards his target. TenTen watched with bated breath as her friend zoomed past her position, a look of pure joy etched on his features.

Just as he reached the opposite tree line, he threw the two rubber hooks at the parallel trees. They twirled 3 times around the branches before hooking securely to the bark. Naruto's speed immediately slowed as his direction changed drastically within a second. He had a brief feeling of vertigo as he ballooned up towards the canopy, releasing the ends to the hooks that were in his hands.

With a whoop, he was fired into the air like a stone being released from a slingshot, directly up into the sky at impossible speeds. The feeling must have been incredible, as TenTen could hear her friend screaming in joy to the heavens as he flew. Snapping out of her thoughts, she got ready to act.

Throwing two kunai, she ripped the trampoline from the tree and quickly dragged it towards the centre of the clearing, where she though the blond was going to land. Squinting at the midday sun, she could barely make out a falling blob of black. Quickly positioning the trampoline directly under the falling maniac, she hurriedly moved back to stay clear of the human-projectile.

"...aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA****!"

Once again, the blond hit the trampoline, and for a second TenTen thought he would punch right through the fabric at the speed he was falling. The trampoline sprung him back out again, and this was repeated until he came to a stop. TenTen was in peals of laughter at the way Naruto was bouncing on the trampoline, sometimes on his head with a stupidly delirious smile on his face. It was like he had taken one of the Nidaime's notorious 'Happy Pills'...

Naruto wobbled to the side of the trampoline and toppled over the edge and onto the grass of the clearing. That was beyond crazy. Tears were streaming from his eyes due to the speed of his fall, his blood pounding through his body in an adrenaline induced rush and his mouth felt like it would never be able to close again.

"AHAHAHA...heh...OH GOD! That was PRICELESS! MY TURN MY TURN!"

Naruto slowly raised his head from eating dirt. As his eyes made it up to her face, he grinned like a loon.

"You're gonna love this!" And with that he sprang up to set it up again.

XXXXXXXX

They went at it for another few tries, and each time, none of them realised that the 'A half' rubber was slowly weakening. Just as Naruto decided to have his last ride, the rubber hooks reached their limit.

Naruto's first inkling that something was wrong was the slightly tearing sound he heard as the hooks pulled him up towards the sky. There was no time for him to even think as with a loud 'SNAP!' the hooks disconnected prematurely, and he was flung into the sky at an angle and not straight up like what was meant to happen.

TenTen's shout of his name was lost to the wind as he blew through the sky towards the hot springs of the village. Hopefully he would land in one of the larger rivers in that direction, as that should relieve some of the monstrous force of his fall and he wouldn't be injured too badly.

That was of course, if he didn't die.

As he began his descent, he screwed his eyes shut and manoeuvred his body to land forwards so he could roll immediately. His descent would take him into a bush right by the side of one of the hot springs and Naruto braced for impact...

XXXXXX

The Gama-Sennin, Jiraiya, was having a good day. He had been in Konoha, spying on the hot springs without anyone knowing. He could be out of here without anyone knowing too, and then Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't be able to pull him into anything Konoha related so he could continue his naughty ways.

He absently reached up with his right sleeve to wipe the blood trailing from his nose as he gazed leacherously through his telescope at the women's side of the hot spring. No-one would catch him when they couldn't see him. He was using the Control/Henge hybrid he had created back in his youth to hide his person and so no-one could see him. Oh, they could sense his Chakra, but in this village there were too many people for them to realise it was him, especially since he had reduced his Chakra levels to that of a civilian.

He giggled. It was useful having the skills that he had, that was for sure.

Nothing could have prepared him for what happened at that instant. Jiraiya froze when he heard a slight whistling in the air, his right arm still raised in front of his nose. Quickly checking through his telescope as the whistling got louder, there had been no change in the women's side although some were staring and pointing at the sky, seemingly following something as it fell towards the ground.

Turning to look at the sky, something hit Jiraiya with the force of a freight train. He was slammed heavily into the ground and the pavement cratered under him, as stones were thrown into the air. Jiraiya's body was literally bounced off the stone floor and thrown into the wall of the hot spring, his Invisibility Jutsu disengaging at the shock and pain of his predicament. He literally blew through the side of the wall and landed with an unceremonious splash in the middle of a group of women.

A hush descended on the entire hot spring as the women glanced down at what had broken down the wall.

"Isn't that...Jiraiya-sama?" Catching on to the question voiced, the women began to boil in anger, putting the falling object and the arrival of the super-pervert together.

Jiraiya groggily raised his head from the steaming water. If he wasn't in mortal peril he would have been enjoying the sight that met his eyes. Alas, he had to move straight away. Jumping up, he ran as fast as he could out of the hole, stopping to grab the thing that had hit him, realising that it was an unconscious boy. The kid would pay for what he did, whatever the reason was. And with that he hightailed in down the street, with the screams of the females in the hot spring ringing in his ears.

XXXXXX

TenTen fell over laughing for the umpteenth time that day. Naruto's story was ludicrous, only made more comical by the bandages tied around his torso and head, attempting to hide the humongous bump on his right cheekbone.

He was such a character! Not only had he hit someone, but he had hit one of the Densetsu no Sannin! The world was definitely a much brighter place with Naruto around.

As TenTen took a moment to wipe the tears of mirth streaming from her eyes, she glanced at the legendary shinobi, who sat quietly staring at the blond-haired patient with a stony expression.

'What's his problem?' TenTen frowned at the way Jiraiya was looking at her friend. It was almost as if he knew Naruto...

"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto?" The question came out gruff like a pencil scratching on paper. The sombre expression made it seem like the powerful man was afraid of the answer he would get.

"Yeah, I am. How did you know?"

The Sennin did not reply to Naruto's question, instead he slumped forward on the stool next to Naruto's hospital bed, placing his head in his hands. For Naruto and TenTen, they didn't know what to make of the ninja's reaction. Naruto thought that maybe this was another person that hated him for who he was, and yet he didn't even know the reason why people hated him.

For Jiraiya it was an entirely different story. He was faced with a reminder of his past, of his failings, and of his broken promises. The legacy of his student who had been mistreated and shunned by all those around him sat injured on a bed in front of him. Jiraiya couldn't bring himself to admit his failings from years ago, but raising his head he stared dully at the boy that was his godson.

"I'm so sorry.." Naruto almost missed the whisper that escaped the old man's lips, and from her perplexed expression, TenTen hadn't heard it at all.

"For what, mister? Have we met somewhere or something?" The man in red simply continued to stare at the boy. Naruto shrugged at the strange behaviour displayed by his unlucky victim. He seemed to be hitting people a lot these days. First Shisui and now this guy.

TenTen didn't have a clue what was going on between the two, but she didn't want to lose this chance to speak to such a legendary ninja! Her idol was Senju Tsunade after all, and that would make this guy her teammate!

"You're Jiraiya-sama, right? I've heard all about you!" TenTen was obviously excited, and her proclamation did much to lighten the suffocating mood that had permeated the air. Jiraiya didn't even glance at her, his attention fully on Naruto, and TenTen felt a twinge of jealousy run through her. What was so special about Naruto? Why wouldn't her idol's teammate talk to her?

Silence once again settled upon the three, and for a while it remained that way.

"Kid, how's the academy going?" Naruto looked up from the floor to regard the man once again.

Cocking his head to the side, he responded bluntly.

"I ain't in the academy. Didn't wanna go." A look of shock flitted across the Sennin's face before he schooled his expression once again.

"How did you use your Chakra in mid-air to slow yourself down if you didn't learn that at the academy?" Naruto looked startled at the question. How had the guy known he had done that when he hadn't been looking in his direction or paying attention to anything other than his telescope?

"How do you know I can even do that? It isn't taught at the academy." Naruto's look was like steel now and Jiraiya was distinctly reminded of his deceased student as he was stared down by such eyes. True, they didn't teach 'Air Pads' to anyone below Chuunin, and that had definitely been a practical use of the skill.

Sighing, the middle aged Shinobi responded like a teacher speaking to his student after a particularly foolish question was asked.

"Kid, I felt your Chakra flare as you used the 'Air Pads'. I'm not one of the Sannin for nothing you know."

Naruto looked scared for a moment. If this guy hated him, then it would get out that he knew such things. The villagers would definitely respond negatively to such a revelation and he didn't want him and TenTen to spend their lives expecting a threat at every turn.

He then remembered the large man's words from a few moments before.

"_I'm so sorry.."_

"Sandaime-Jiji taught me a lot of stuff when I was younger. That's how I knew the 'Air Pads'."

This time the shock remained on the legendary Shinobi's face for a few seconds, before he hastily responded.

"Sarutobi taught you some techniques?" Jiraiya was evidently surprised at this development.

"Well, he didn't really teach me, just gave me a bunch of scrolls to learn how to protect myself."

Jiraiya sat back on his stool. No way. Just NO WAY.

The kid learned the 'Air Pads' from a SCROLL? The last stage of Control exercises before Elemental manipulation, and he had learned it without going to the academy, and from a scroll?

Jiraiya's mind reeled in shock as he thought about the implications of such a thing. That would make him better than his father by almost half a year, but Minato had grown up in wartime! How was it possible for someone to learn it faster without a teacher and in a time of peace no less?

The kid had to be a genius. There was no the explanation. Jiraiya knew that he had to act now. He couldn't leave the boy now that he was confronted with what he had attempted to leave behind. He should never have come back to Konoha, he could have hidden from his obligations till the end of his days, but once again his stupidity led him to trouble. What would Tsunade and Orochimaru say if they could see him now?

He snorted at that thought. They couldn't say anything. They were worse than he was; Tsunade with her drinking and gambling problems and Orochimaru with his twisted beliefs. He wouldn't run away from his problems anymore, unlike his wayward teammates. He would help his godson just like Sarutobi-sensei was helping him.

He really didn't understand how very wrong he was about the boy in front of him.

The door to the hospital room opened and a flustered nurse entered.

"Ahem. Jiraiya-sama there's a group of people outside demanding that you...ah...'Come down to die' would be the correct wording..." The woman looked slightly angry herself as Jiraiya realised that the retribution for his hot spring stunt was about to bite him in the back.

Glancing around, he looked for the closest avenue to escape, but with a start, he looked sideways to find the nurse's hand clamped on his shoulder preventing him from moving.

"I must say I agree with them on this."

Jiraiya blanched. Turning his head, he capitalised on the fact that Naruto was in the room, using the tried and tested Namikaze bait.

"Naruto you want some Ramen? My treat." And with that, the blond bolted upright, grabbed TenTen's arm and sprinted out the door towards Ichiraku's. In the moment of chaos, the nurse had relaxed her hold and Jiraiya used the opportunity to jump out the window.

"!"

As Naruto and TenTen ran towards the Ramen stand, they glanced at each other briefly. Why would a whole load of women want to hurt Jiraiya.

Slowly, TenTen began to catch on.

"You said you landed next to the hot springs right? The women's side, right?" Naruto bobbed his head in the affirmative, still confused.

TenTen cracked her knuckles. There was a pervert to kill.

ZZZZZZZ

Chapter 9 complete!

Wow, I typed this out in one sitting! I was having a break from revision and this chapter practically wrote itself!

I hope I kept TenTen in character here, it was extremely hard to write her responses in this chapter, but I hope it came out convincingly! This was my longest chapter yet, as the review count went up quite a bit from last chapter and I received over 20 reviews! It was so cool!

Please review! I want your thoughts on this chapter. Next time we see a return to serious Naruto with the Uchiha Massacre. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!

PS: REVIEW!

OMAKE: NIDAIME'S HAPPY PILLS

Senju Shinsui, the Nidaime Hokage, strolled into Konoha central hospital with a brown paper bag of pills he had just finished making. It had taken a long time and concrete concentration to get the percentages of substances correct, but the final product of his experimentation was now held in his hands.

Opening a door in the A&E department he strolled in to see a patrol that had just returned after losing a member out on the field.

"Hey guys cheer up! I can't have grumpy ninja in my village!" Turning to a nurse on duty he nodded his head and moved to the nearest Shinobi lying with a vacant expression on his face.

"Have no fear, because Nidaime is here! And I brought an instant heal for you guys! I have just finished concocting my 'cure all' for any ailments and injuries. You my friend, will be the first to recover!"

Reading the plaque next to the Shinobi's bed, he saw the name 'Nara Shikaku'. A Chuunin from the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' team eh? Forcing a bright blue pill into the incapacitated ninja's mouth, he reached out and made chewing motions with the Nara's upper and lower jaws. The other patients stared at him like he was crazy, but the Nidaime continued until the ninja was forced to swallow.

Almost immediately, a look of goofy happiness spread across the genius Shinobi's face and his eyes shot open, although to those close by, they could see his eyes were completely out of focus.

"Ahtth Hokageth-thama, the cloudth are very bloo thoday..." The Nara's tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, as he spouted whatever was on his mind.

Suffice to say, the Nara clan was never the same again.

"Who wants one?" The Nidaime asked cheerfully.

The Hospital was vacated as if a bomb had gone off. Shinsui pouted. He HAD recovered hadn't he?

ZZZZZZZZ

All references go to Vorago Atrox and his 'Different Past, Different Future'. I was too lazy to ask if I could borrow your idea, but it was just gold! If you don't want me to use this just say so and I will remove it!

MegaB


	10. Chapter 10

Fanfic Highlights for this chapter are 'Houses of the Holy' by HowdyU and one of the best authors I have ever had the honour to read, Case13.

HowdyU has done a simply stunning job with 'Houses of the Holy'. I hated every and all Akatsuki!Naruto Fanfics until I read his one, and I can really see it happening! It was emotive and explosive, something very hard to find these days, and I hope I can use some of the things I have learnt from reading it!

Case13...Well there's not much to say about his fics except...READ THEM! Seriously, if you want to know how to write a fight scene that is engaging and violent then his fics are the first ones you should go to! Otherwise, simply read it for the fun of it. 'Livewire' was especially good, not to mention one of the best fics I've read called 'The Art of the Deal'.

ZZZZZZZ

Jiraiya was stunned. Two weeks. It had taken the blond two weeks to learn the 'Air Pads'. That was incredible! And yet he was such a bumbling idiot! He had mastered an exercise that took an experienced Chuunin a week to complete and he had done it in only double the average time!

The Gama-Sennin shook his head. It just seemed so impossible!

"That was how it was Jiraiya. I was surprised myself, but please keep in mind that he is not a Shinobi of this village. He has only the rights of a civilian. If you attempt to apprentice him, the council will no doubt shoot that proposal down as soon as it leaves my mouth." Sarutobi Hiruzen blew a steady stream of smoke from the side of his mouth.

"Now onto more pressing matters. The Uchiha are planning a coup d'etat."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. WHAT?

"What do you mean Sensei? That sounds crazy! Why would they want to do that when they have everything they asked for?"

Sarutobi sighed. He knew this was going to happen. He had been monitoring them since he had first been appointed as Hokage all those years ago. If there was one thing that his 2 Sensei had taught him, it was to be wary with the clan.

Making a long chain of hand seals, he slammed his hands onto a seal that was painted directly in front of him on his desk. The seal lit up in beautiful cobalt before the glow trailed along the seal network and blossomed out to encompass the whole room.

"Jiraiya, ever since Uchiha Madara's fight with my Sensei at the valley of the end, I have been very attentive with any and all news that reached my ears from the Uchiha's affairs. It was simply impossible for them to turn their backs on the strongest Shinobi to ever grace their ranks, let alone lead them, without suffering some form of retribution. I found it odd that a ninja as rebellious as he would simply leave them alone after they ignored and deviated behind his back. There must have been a reason, a component the Shodai and Nidaime missed that was important, so important that it meant the very stability of the village. And so, I had them watched. I had them infiltrated down to the very depths of their secrets, and this is the result of that intelligence."

Sighing again, the old Hokage stood and made his way to the window to stare forlornly out at the Konoha night lights.

The Village was as beautiful at night as it was when the sun was shining. The trees stood as sentinels, lining every pathway, and looming in the distance, beyond Konoha's huge wall. The rainbow of lights were spread out all over the village and from his vantage point, the Sandaime hoped that it would stay this way.

However, as he thought this, the picture of a certain blond-haired Jinchuuriki, flashed across his mind's eye. It was foolish, he knew, and yet Naruto had still grown up with a semblance of sanity. There was hope left in the Hokages' legacies, and they would be the ones to keep this Village upright, although to what extent Naruto would fit into this, Sarutobi didn't know.

"Tonight. They will move tonight. I have no idea how they plan to move, directly or indirectly, but they will be moving tonight. I have my agent ready to eliminate them as soon as he witnesses the movement begin."

Jiraiya blanched. A single Shinobi up against the entire Uchiha clan?

"Are you INSANE?" Sarutobi had obviously been expecting that reaction as he simply stared at his former student.

"Do you not think that I have all the factors taken into account? I sent that specific agent because of this." Sarutobi continued to peer at Jiraiya in an expectant way. For the life of him, the legendary Shinobi could not figure out what was wanted from him.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Jiraiya's eyes widened once again. THAT explained it. The Prodigy. The Genius.

The Monotonous Killer.

"He assured me that he was fully capable of taking them out. I have full faith in him." Sarutobi retook his seat and began to rub the bridge of his wizened nose.

For a moment, Jiraiya looked slightly sceptical that the boy could pull it off, he was only 13 after all, yet his Sensei seemed so sure...

Whatever, it wasn't his problem.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sarutobi's eyes hardened. Jiraiya shivered mentally. He knew it wasn't directed at him, but his Sensei's anger was a very serious thing indeed. The legend of 'The Professor' was known all over the world after all.

"Naruto cannot be anywhere near the Uchiha District tonight. This is your job. Keep him from there at all costs. I will brook no argument on this. You WILL make sure he is not even 500 meters away from that area of Konoha until the night's events are over."

To Jiraiya, this was an incredibly odd order. What did Naruto have to do with the Uchiha? What would be gained by keeping him away from the inevitable fight? It just didn't make any sense that Sarutobi would tell him to do this.

Sarutobi seemed to have caught his ex-students confusion and wearily explained his reasoning.

"I confess that something happened that I could not have foreseen. It should never have happened and yet it did, and now I am faced with the consequences of my own foolishness." At Jiraiya's perplexed expression, the Hokage continued. "I and a few of the ANBU recognised Naruto's growth early on in his training. He was able to adapt a technique or a basic Shinobi skill, without any real knowledge of how they worked. Recently I got word that he had even used the Henge/Control Hybrid that you created yourself, to hide himself and turn the Academy upside down. Before this however, there was a mission where his expertise would have been handy to the ANBU that were assigned to carry it out."

Sarutobi's hand clenched painfully on the surface of the table, his voice low and filled with grief.

"It went horribly wrong. The Chuunin under suspicion escaped before we could eliminate him and just as the ANBU managed to subdue him, the enemy had made contact with Naruto. That event has scarred him, devastated his psyche, not unlike Tsunade's fear of blood. He had no intention of becoming a Shinobi and yet I forced his hand, we are yet to see the consequences from that tragedy."

Jiraiya could only stare at his Sensei. He was making it sound as if the brat had some serious mental problems, but he didn't! Jiraiya could attest to the fact that he was happy and content with his life. Just what was he missing?

"He was hospitalised for a week, such was the mental damage. You wouldn't know Jiraiya, as you hadn't seen him grow up, but Naruto heals at an accelerated rate that can only be a trait of the Kyuubi." Jiraiya winced at the hidden barb within his Sensei's words.

"So he's mentally unstable? Is the seal OK?" Sarutobi nodded.

"The seal is fine. It has completely shut the Kyuubi's essence off from Naruto, Minato did an excellent job. I also think the beast is sleeping after the amount of Chakra it expelled that night. We will have to see what happens to young Naruto if the Kyuubi ever awakens. But that is beside the point. Naruto must not come into contact with the Uchiha this night. The damage to his mind is severe, yet he covers it up with a smile. I do not wish to see his mind any further damaged."

Jiraiya nodded at that. He had better get to it right away. Standing, he moved towards the door as a bright blue flash signified the dropping of the sound cancellation seal. Where would he find Naruto?

He froze.

Sarutobi looked up when he felt Jiraiya stop moving. His Chakra had begun to move agitatedly as if there was something bothering him.

"What is the problem Jiraiya-kun?"

At Jiraiya's reply, Sarutobi vaulted over the side of his desk, dropping his cloak and hat revealing him in full combat clothing.

Naruto was playing a prank that night.

On the Uchiha.

XXXXXXX

As Naruto jumped from a rooftop outside of the Uchiha district to one inside, he almost laughed at how easily he had managed to get in. There were no guards, no alarms and most of all no Villagers! It was like there was an emergency and everyone had been evacuated.

Naruto grinned wider as he jumped to another rooftop on the opposite side of the Japanese-styled street. Halfway through his jump a smell wafted up to his nose that he recognised on a primal level. His entire body froze mid-jump and he missed the side of the building and tumbled to the ground below.

Naruto was trapped. Everywhere he looked there were dead bodies. Blood everywhere, even on his clothes. As he fell to his knees, splashing into a puddle of blood, he raised his hands to his face. Blood was on his hands.

'No, no, no, no...this can't be...'

The entire street was deathly silent. The wind whistled in the trees like a symphony of death, and in the centre of this...this massacre, was he; a poor, scared little boy. Naruto had no choice to accept it now. The world was too big for him. He could not hope to escape the dangers of the Shinobi world.

Unbidden a memory hit him from a year or so prior.

_A blade sliding so easily through the torso and heart of a man._

_His blood splattering all over Naruto's body._

_His hands stained in the blood of the Shinobi_

_And his last, loathing, hating, terrible word in the world of the living, a testament to his evil deeds and his trip to a hellish finality._

"_Demon"_

His hands shook. His very soul shook to the core, but most of all his heart cried tears of blood. He wanted to play a prank, a harmless prank, and instead he was reminded of his past.

Events he dearly wanted to forget.

The day his most trusted Jiji, used him for the sake of the village. The day the Shinobi dyed his very soul with the slick, crimson life-blood that he so hated. And now all around him, he was _drowning__in__it._

Feverishly, he stood, the blood dripping from his kneecaps, running down his legs and soaking into his socks and the soles of his feet. He felt dirty, _**tainted,**___submerged in the death and decay strewn all around the streets of the Uchiha district.

The moon itself was a blood-red colour, standing stark and clear against the complete blackness of the clear night sky behind it. And as he stumbled backwards attempting to escape back to his home, the woods, _anywhere_ but the location he was currently in, a puff of smoke signified the arrival of someone; perhaps Naruto's saviour.

But then he saw it.

The pair of eyes the same colour as the coppery liquid dripping all over the street. He didn't know what it was, and yet anything that had eyes that colour were something to fear.

The figure stopped as it noticed the 7 year old's presence. Naruto couldn't quite make out the figure, only lots of black, a pale face and those terrible, haunting eyes. And as he stared unbelievingly at the man in front of him, so casually standing amongst the prevalent carnage of families that were once people; living, breathing, laughing people, a slight, blood-thirsty grin formed on the man's porcelain face.

"What a surprise." The drawling statement made Naruto's stomach wretch and he clutched at the offending organ as he stared in utter terror as the figure began to move towards him. The man's footfalls squelching in the blood and gore strewn on the street reached the Jinchuuriki's ears as he was rooted to the spot in utter fear.

The figure stopped in front of him. Naruto was able to make out only his eyes nose and mouth, as the rest of him, from top to toe, was covered entirely in black clothing. It was impossible to identify anything else due to the blackness of the obsidian night and his gaze was drawn to the only source of light, those dreadful crimson eyes.

And in that moment, the Uzumaki realised the truth encompassed by the saying 'the eyes are the windows to the soul'. The sheer fury and disgust within the man shone like an inferno as he glared ferociously down at the blond pre-teen. The bleach-white skin of his mouth was stretched in an almost gleefully evil smile, one that could only promise torture and pain to anyone who had the misfortune to experience it.

'_Like a Ghost..'_

And then it hit him, so fast he was unable to comprehend what had happened until, in a bone-jarring crunch, he hit the wall. The man's fist had simply disappeared and then Naruto was indented into a brick wall.

Still grinning, the man began to walk towards Naruto once again. It was only then that Naruto's self-preservation instinct kicked in. Without realising it, he performed the Kawarimi without hand seals and found himself regarding his attacker from down the street. The brief surprise that appeared on the Shinobi's face disappeared as he chuckled sinisterly.

"So you can do something!" Turning, Naruto once again caught a glimpse of those blood-filled eyes.

He shakily brought his arms up to guard himself and yet he knew he was no match. He distantly realised that this man was simply playing with him, like a cat does a shiny ball when it sees it in a side alley. And there was nothing that could prepare him for what happened next.

Another ninja appeared next to the first, crouching like a tiger, a blade dripping rivulets of blood clenched in his right hand. The newcomer was in full ANBU gear and had the same swirling red-eyes of the sharingan blazing as he regarded the figure in front of him.

"Madara-sama, the mission has been accomplished. Not a single one was left alive." The other figure nodded.

"Leave me, I have some unfinished...business to complete with my young acquaintance." The second figure turned, but paused as he spied Naruto at the end of the street. His eyes widened imperceptibly as he took in the frightened 7 year old, quailing at the corner of one of the japans-style houses typical to the Uchiha District.

"I said LEAVE!" The thunderous growl jerked the new arrival and he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The Shinobi identified as Madara, simply disappeared as well. Naruto had absolutely no time to even attempt a guard as a punch slammed into his chest. Almost faster than his brain could register, the black-clad ninja followed it up with three more punches, two to his chest and another to his gut. Finally, Naruto was hit by a devastating upper-cut and his small form was thrown like a rag doll into the Uchiha District's wall.

His body slid down until he sat in a slumping position, his head lowered and his body battered with the aching pains from the blows he had just received.

Madara stepped lightly until he was directly in front of the blond once again. Reaching out with a pale fingertip, he hooked the end of Naruto's top and pulled it up to reveal his stomach.

"It was unlucky for you to have met me this night, young Kyuubi. As you can see, my faithful apprentice and I have just finished...disposing of the trash housed within these walls. A bin requires cleaning once in a while, wouldn't you agree?" A sardonic grin once again curled the edges of the nin's mouth.

"Within you is sealed a beast of great power. My pet, the Kyuubi no Yoko. If you ever come in contact with him, kindly relay my words to him: You have failed, my pet. I will save you, but for your failure I will require double the payment."

The tip of his outstretched finger made contact with the smooth skin of Naruto's belly and Naruto blearily felt something probing into his body.

And then it appeared.

A blazing black tattoo of such complexity that Naruto knew in his young mind that no tattooist could have ever done such a thing.

"And that is all the proof you require. If you resist me, then grow strong, strong enough to fight me. You have tasted but a particle's worth of my strength so know what you are up against. But know this; I will be back, and when I return it is either your death or mine, Uzumaki Naruto."

The figure withdrew his finger and Naruto suddenly felt all his energy drain from him. In a last ditch effort, he painfully made the seals for the Goukakyu. As Madara walked away, the fireball consumed him whole, and yet Naruto felt no satisfaction from scoring a hit on his attacker. Evil laughter rang raucously from the centre of the ball of fire, but when it extinguished there was nothing in its wake.

"Madara..." His whisper was caught by the two figures that appeared at that instant, as Naruto slumped sideways into unconsciousness.

XXXXX

In a dark and damp corner of Naruto's subconscious, a lethargic crimson eye slowly opened.

He was no _Pet_ and the Uchiha would do well to remember that.

And no payment was given when there was nothing to pay for.

The eye closed once again as darkness enveloped it once again.

XXXXXX

Uchiha Itachi dashed through Konoha's forest at top speed. The world was a blur to him as he sped through the undergrowth, the greens and browns of the plants around melding into one as they zipped past him.

His senses caught the tri-layered genjutsu almost immediately and his Sharingan eyes revolved into life as he dispelled all three layers. As he completed this task, his body revolved 180 degrees in the air, his feet latching onto the nearest tree with Chakra, and his Chokuto hissing as it was removed from its sheath at high speed; his whole world spinning as he completed the manoeuvre.

Suddenly, the tilting world came to an abrupt halt, and Itachi felt the bite of a Kunai against his throat, whilst his own weapon had found the neck of his assailant. He regarded the 3 tomoe of each eye of the Uchiha in front of him.

"Shisui.."

Said Uchiha was tensed like a tightly coiled spring, if Itachi even moved a nanometre his Jugular would be severed. Both Uchiha were suspended horizontally on the surface of a great elm in Konoha's outer forest. It was a small concession that his opponent was in the same situation; he was no good to anyone if he was dead.

"So it was you." Shisui's gaze was hard as he stared into his best friends eyes. He knew something was up and he had gone scouting only to find his clan slaughtered on his return. Itachi would be dead if he had been anyone else, 'Shinkiro no Shisui' never left an opponent alive.

"Shisui, there is no time for this. You do not comprehend the situation at this moment. I have not the time to explain it to you." Itachi rarely spoke with emotion, yet his voice had quivered in that instant. It was low and the words were spoken quickly, completely uncharacteristic of the usually monotonous Shinobi. He scrutinised the Uchiha-killer's eyes to find any deception in that statement.

He didn't find any.

Slowly, he tilted his Kunai away from the neck of his best friend and retracted his arm. Itachi re-sheathed his sword.

"Why?"

"On orders." Shisui's eyes flicked to the side when he heard that statement. So it had been a coup, Sandaime must have figured it out.

"Survivors?"

Shisui saw it then, the slight tremble of the other's eyes when he comprehended his question. Itachi's answer was swift.

"Three, including yourself."

Springing to a tree further from Itachi, he landed on a branch crouched and ready to take flight again.

"I will never agree with your method. We shall meet again."

The two disappeared as they sped off in opposite directions. A leaf fell to the forest floor and lay there, completely untouched by the confrontation that had just taken place.

ZZZZZZZ

First Chapter of the Uchiha Massacre is now officially done. Next chapter is the aftermath and after that, another timeskip. Most of the initial story development has been completed at this point. But what payment was Madara talking about? Why didn't Shisui kill his family's murderer and most of all, who were the other 2 survivors?

All this next time! If I get enough reviews, there'll be another Omake!

PS: REVIEWS PLEASE!

MegaB


	11. Chapter 11

Yo! I'm back once again! I had some constructive criticism about last chapter and a few people didn't like the fact that the ending was so cliché. I didn't want to do it that way, but it was necessary and I hope everyone will see why in this chapter!

Review highlights go to Eric3D2B and Vilkath! Eric, because he put a big smile on my face from his review, and that rarely happens these days! Really, I was almost cracking up at his review, it was just awesome!

Vilkath, because he didn't sugarcoat his words. He told me straight what he didn't like about the chapter and wasn't rude or derogatory about it! That was a very informative review, and I hope if I ever do anything else that people don't like, I will get more reviews like that. It helps an author improve their story and frankly, no-one is perfect!

So rest assured everyone! I will not go down the cliché path once again, hopefully! I'm thinking of merging the humour and drama together for the plot development chapters but I want to know what you guys think about this idea. Do you think I could pull it off convincingly?

Fanfic highlights go to 'Fuinjutsu' by Eleature and 'Cloud Age Symphony' by withRainyEyes. Fuinjutsu is possibly the best story of its genre in the Naruto section. I was a great fan of that fic, but the author has seemingly disappeared...If you want to know what would happen if Naruto had to go into deep cover, go check it out!

Cloud Age Symphony is a simply riveting story. It is VERY emotional and I points I was quite moved by how the author managed to portray the characters' frame of mind. It's a time travel fic, but with a very big twist that I don't think has ever been done before!

That said, we move on to Chapter 11 and the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre!

ZZZZZZZZ

TenTen sped down the hallway of Konoha Central Hospital. There weren't many words that could describe the kind of feelings she was experiencing at that moment. Her mind was in turmoil from all the information that had been disclosed to her just 20 minutes prior. She had returned from her evening training like normal. Naruto hadn't been home and although odd, she disregarded it as something else he was doing that night. She remembered cracking a smile and thinking that it would have been interesting to see what he had been up to.

How drastically wrong she had been.

She had taken a quick bath. She hated showers; you had to STAND up and take them, who could be bothered to do that? Plus you had to keep adjusting the water temperature and that was just downright long! So she had taken a hot bath. And once she had been satisfied that her skin had wrinkled enough for the next few days, she had got out and proceeded to make something for her to eat.

And then the Shinobi had arrived. Soft as a feather, TenTen didn't hear anything until the ninja had knocked on the door. Thinking it was Naruto she had opened it to find the imposing mask of an ANBU agent staring at her. What would the elite of the village be doing here?

In a soft voice, devoid of all emotion the ANBU designated 'Rat' had said the words she had not been expecting.

"_The Uchiha clan has been massacred. Your roommate has been injured. The medics have asked for your presence so please make haste to comply."_

And that was it. The ninja had simply disappeared and TenTen had been left standing in the doorway, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

"_Naruto....in the....hospital?"_

She had muttered to herself. Realising just what had come out of her own mouth. She had quickly dressed and left the apartment, making sure to lock it with the spare key Naruto had given her all those months ago.

And now she found herself in front of his door. Room 225, a designated room for trauma and coma patients. Taking that as a bad sign, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dark and apart from a small bedside lamp that was lit, no light sources were switched on.

With a start, the bun-haired brunette realised that there were three people in the room already and they were conversing in low tones. Her eyes widened when she realised that they weren't just any old people, they were the Sandaime, Jiraiya of the Sannin and a silver-haired ANBU agent. This was no ordinary meeting, that much she was sure of. Something was going on here.

All three elite Shinobi paid her no heed as if they knew she wasn't a threat and she frowned slightly at that; they must have a technique or something that alerted them to anyone in the vicinity. Slowly, she moved forward to see the dark figure lying on the bed. She gasped at what she saw.

Naruto, one of the strongest and most cheerful boys she had ever seen was laying deathly still. There was a large, angry, red welt on his lower jaw, bandages wrapped under and above the obvious injury site as if to keep it in place. More bandages were wrapped around his upper torso and his gut, his face was deathly pale and this caused the 3 whisker marks that she could see on the left side of his face, to stand out.

"...We found him passed out when we got there. There was no way we could have left him among all the dead bodies. His psyche is already damaged enough from what has happened and I shudder to think what would have occurred had he woken up among that massacre."

TenTen turned to find the Hokage addressing the ANBU.

Massacre? The Uchiha were _massacred_?

'That's right,' she shook herself, 'that's what the other ANBU had said too. Who could do such a thing?!'

"If what we heard is correct, there is absolutely no telling what could be happening within our borders at the moment. Kakashi, I want you to take ANBU squads Alpha, Beta and Delta. Spread out, comb the area and don't let a single thing escape you. If you encounter any Uchiha, DO NOT engage them. This is a flee-on-sight order. Am I understood?" The Sandaime's face was grim as he stared down at the face of her friend.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The ANBU agent paused for a moment, his mask directed at Naruto and seemed to almost sigh, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"Was that really necessary Sensei? They are probably long gone by now." As soon as Jiraiya spoke those words the Sandaime rounded on him, his gaze like steel.

"YOU do not have a right to question my actions. You know very well where you stand right now, so do not push me." The red-clad Shinobi bristled at the anger directed at him, but didn't retort.

It was almost as if the Uchiha were involved in their own massacre...

TenTen shrugged over her unease over the recent exchange and spoke up in a tentative tone.

"Ah, H-Hokage-sama. What's wrong w-with Naruto?" Turning as if he only just noticed the young girl, Sarutobi smiled tiredly as he replied.

"TenTen, I assume? Naruto has been talking about you a lot recently." At TenTen's silent response he sighed and continued.

"Naruto was caught up in one of the greatest tragedies to hit Konoha. Someone has killed the entire Uchiha clan, save two, and the attacker deemed it necessary to attack the poor boy just because he was there." Motioning to the bed, the Hokage frowned.

"It seems young Naruto's attacker was merciless in his assault and Naruto has suffered quite a few injuries." TenTen stepped forward to view the blond from a better angle. She found the Hokage's arm blocking her and she stared in shock at the leader of her village.

"Don't wake him." It was an absolute order, and TenTen would have sooner jumped out the window then defy the Sandaime's order; such was her respect for the venerable Hokage. As they all gazed at the unconscious blond, some banging by the door was heard before it was thrown violently inwards, the handles smacking loudly into the wall.

The two ninja had reacted faster than TenTen's eyes could track. One second they were peering down at the comatose patient and the next, they were standing on either side of the intruder, two kunai to his neck. TenTen noticed the toad Sennin recoil in shock before the Hokage.

"Uchiha..." It was barely a whisper.

The intruder's eyes were wide in shock. He was wearing the standard Konoha Military Police uniform of black T-Shirt with the Uchiha fan emblazoned on the back, along with black pants and Shinobi sandals. His hair was frazzled and unkempt, as if he had been through a great storm, but the most distinguishing thing about him, was the pair of glowing red eyes that stared wildly around the room.

"Uchiha Shisui. Report. Your body was found missing at the Uchiha District, where have you been? Your clan is dead!" The teenager identified as Shisui didn't seem surprised from the Hokage's words, but was quick to respond.

"Sir, I have some urgent news. I met Uchiha Itachi fleeing to the North in the 4th quadrant of the Konoha forest. Was he the culprit?" The Sandaime ignored the question as his face grew anxious.

"What transpired from your encounter?" Shisui's eyes glinted knowingly.

"I am invoking Code Red on this report sir. It's for your ears only." The Hokage nodded slightly, his face softening in obvious relief. "More importantly, who from my family survived?"

The Hokage turned back to watch the blond-haired occupant on the hospital bed before answering.

"Your second aunt, Uchiha Mikoto, and her son, Sasuke. There were no other survivors." Again, TenTen realised that the shock portrayed by the Shinobi was far less than what should have been when someone was told that most of their family was dead. What was up with this guy? She didn't notice the slightly saddened expression that flitted across the Uchiha's face.

"Did – d-did he really.."

"SHISUI! We will discuss that at a later time. For now we must attend to the survivors." The Hokage had swung around to confront the teenager when he had spoken and in doing so, the Uchiha noticed the still form of the person on the bed. He gasped.

"Naruto-kun?! What has he got to do with all this? Why is he here?" TenTen heard sincere surprise in the elder boy's voice.

"He was caught up in the massacre. It seems that the attacker beat him quite heavily before he left." The Uchiha looked down sadly at the sleeping form of the blond. After a while he turned and made his way unobstructed, out of the door. 'Probably going to check on his family' TenTen thought.

All three left in the room once again turned to regard the blond Jinchuuriki. For a while there was silence, but then an atmosphere of shock settled in as Naruto began to stir. 'He shouldn't be waking up yet! What's going on?!' TenTen was getting worried. Too many odd things were happening.

As Naruto opened his eyes, all three ran to his bedside, Jiraiya placing his hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him from sitting up and doing anymore damage to his healing injuries. The blond pre-teen's eyes were dull and listless, their delphinium glow absent, as they took in the three faces above him. Jiraiya removed his hand and Naruto began to struggle to sit up. This time the Sandaime reached out, but he did not stop him, rather he placed his hand on the boy's back, lending him support to raise himself.

TenTen stepped back with the others as Naruto glanced around the dimly lit room before staring out the window. He suddenly burst out laughing, his tone cracked and his mouth obviously parched. His laughter degenerated into short wheezing as his lung capacity gave out. The three other occupants turned to stare at each other.

Why was he laughing?

"The Kyuubi..." The scratchy words that emitted from the blond's lips caused an immediate reaction. The Hokage and the Gama-Sennin recoiled as TenTen's confused gaze shifted between her friend and the elder Shinobi.

The temperature in the room dropped noticeably. What was he –

"TenTen." The bun-haired girl snapped to attention as the Sandaime addressed her. "Please return to your current lodgings. We three have much to discuss." TenTen stared for a moment and made to reply before remembering just who she was speaking to. Blushing in embarrassment, she lowered her head, before striding quickly to the door and exiting, closing the door softly behind her.

XXXXXX

TenTen hurried towards the hospital exit. What was so important that she couldn't be there? She had come all the way to see her friend after all and it just seemed weird that the Hokage would send her away. And what was it that Naruto had said?

Something about a Kyuubi.

'Nine-tails?' She thought to herself. 'I'm sure I've heard that term before.' Snapping out of her reverie, she continued on her way home.

At least Naruto was fine, right?

XXXXXX

"What do you know of the Kyuubi, Naruto-kun?" The question wasn't said in an angry way and yet, it was one that Naruto knew that he had to answer.

"The Kyuubi....is sealed inside of me. That's what he said, that Madara." Jiraiya sucked in a breath sharply. His head snapped to look at the Sandaime. This changed everything. Naruto knew, there was no doubt about it, both of Madara and of his tenant. From his earlier behaviour, neither of the elder Shinobi could guess the mental state Naruto was currently in.

"A seal. He showed me the seal, the seal you have hid from me." Pulling up the hospital gown through the bandages, he poked his belly button. "Right here. Big and black, and it definitely wasn't a tattoo." Naruto's head rose and his eyes bore defiantly into the old Hokage's visage. His face had twisted into a vicious sneer, his eyes devoid of any of their previous light. His mind had been damaged beyond repair. And yet the Hokage remained silent.

"All these years I wondered why everyone hated me. Why they always glared at me and sometimes threw things at me. And you knew all this time, didn't you.....Jiji?" Naruto's nickname for the Hokage came out scathing, nothing like how much love and trust the blond used to say that name with.

This time, Sarutobi visibly winced. There was no getting out of this situation; he had to explain it as carefully as possible.

"Naruto-kun, Uchiha Madara is a very evil man. While the Kyuubi is indeed within you, do not take what he has said as truth. The Kyuubi was a beast of incredible power, it was not possible to destroy such a thing and so the Yondaime was forced to seal it within you. You are not the Kyuubi, only its jailor. Can a glass be the water within it?" There was a notable hint of desperation in the old Hokage's words.

"No." Jiraiya glanced back at the Uzumaki heir worriedly. This didn't look good at all.

"No, I know I'm not the Kyuubi. Otherwise I would have been able to defend myself against him. T-There was j-just so.....s-so much......so much blood!" The blond cried out in horror and terror at the crimes that had been committed that night, grabbing his head in his hands as his whole body shook. Sarutobi cursed aloud. He knew the boy's mind was shattered, maybe irreparably. Hadn't he sworn to protect Minato's son from this happening?!

Striding forward the Hokage wrapped the Jinchuuriki in a tight embrace. He was startled when his student gripped his shoulder and pulled him back forcefully.

"What will you do kid? Will you sit here and cry?" The room became deathly silent as Sarutobi stared at his student in shock. Jiraiya was studying the Jinchuuriki intently, his eyes fixed upon his godson like a vice. Naruto's tear-stained face rose to regard the owner of the voice.

"Will you snivel and cry, whilst others plan to take your life? Will you be content to have this death sentence hanging over your head for the rest of your life?" Naruto's eyes were wide, and the blue of his iris shook slightly as he tried to rationalise why this man was asking him these questions.

"Madara will be back, and next time he'll want your head. Will you stand against him or will you stay laying here as a weak brat until that time comes?" Jiraiya's voice was like steel, his tones hard and his volume forceful. Like hell he would let the son of the greatest Shinobi and Hokage to fall at the first obstacle. He had resolved himself to support his godson and he would be there to help him out of his every pitfall. He would not return to his old lifestyle, not after all he had concluded. He would not be like his two wayward teammates, wasting away with their own problems having forgotten in what direction their responsibilities lay.

Naruto began to laugh again. His laughter rose to mad cackles as his small frame shook from his mirth. As quickly as it came, his bout of laughter came to an abrupt halt and his mouth twisted upward in a cruel smile.

He didn't answer. He simply lay back down and turned over, facing away from the two elder Shinobi. Sarutobi and Jiraiya exchanged a glance and Jiraiya shrugged at the slight expression of reproach on his Sensei's face.

Staring for a little while longer at the boy's still form, they realised he had gone back to sleep. Sarutobi decided to have a Yamanaka check on the boy's mind to make sure the events hadn't completely broken him. At least the seal was still working fine, he didn't want a mad Bijuu destroying the Village anytime soon.

Nodding at each other, the student and teacher began to make their way to the door. Stopping, Jiraiya threw a perplexed glance at the previously happy bundle of energy.

Just how bad had his mind been affected?

XXXXXXX

When Naruto had awoken, he had seen three blurry faces staring down at him. As he waited for his vision to clear up, his mind began to kick back in to full gear and with it, the events of the night.

'Uchiha Madara? A...Seal? And the Kyuubi was locked in the seal, and it was Madara's pet?'

Naruto still couldn't comprehend the alarming things that had been revealed to him. He was weak, that much he realised. His Taijutsu was almost non-existent and it was proven by how easily he had been manhandled by the psychotic Sharingan user. He hadn't even been able to block a single punch let alone fight back! And this guy was coming back for him?! Like hell he was going to stand by and let himself die! He wasn't going to allow the sadness and anger from his childhood get him now, not after all this time. He had already resolved to live his life how he wanted, and he wasn't going to let any threats get in his way.

'You know what this means though don't you?' His subconscious replied for him. 'We have to get stronger. Strong enough to be able to defeat that guy.'

Slowly, the blond-haired Jinchuuriki looked around the room before looking out the window at the Hokage monument. A small thought flashed in his mind, which in its delirious state, caused him to burst out laughing.

'I'll have to pull that prank on the monument. I don't know why I put it off for later.'

And with that, he turned to the occupants of his hospital room, the prior tragedy returning full force and with it, the sickening smell and feel of blood, as if this room had been part of the massacre too. His fear induced mind rocked as he strove to fortify himself against his impending madness. All his senses were strained at the three who were staring at him in obvious concern, but he now knew that they had hid things from him. Things that were destroying his world and causing his bloody nemesis to return full force in his mind's eye.

He would have his answers this night. And then when he was free of the hospital, he would prepare himself to stop any and all people that stood in the way of his life.

XXXXXX

It had only taken a day for the populace of Konoha to realise the sudden change in Naruto's behaviour; it was by no means subtle. As soon as he had been released, he had taken to training like a fish to water. Furthermore, the Hokage was receiving strange news that his successor's son had taken to fighting anyone who tried to jump him in the seedier parts of Konoha's expanse. The reports stated that he wouldn't use any Ninjutsu whatsoever. He would simply go in there all fists blazing and Sarutobi was beginning to wonder if Naruto had finally lost it and gone crazy.

And yet, apart from that, he still seemed to be carrying on the life's goal he had set for himself. One day he had set himself in a tent on top of Hokage monument and stayed there for a week. No-one had known what he was up to until a bright summer's morning, typical of Konoha, where the Villagers and Shinobi alike had awoken to find the Hokage monument decorated in the most ridiculous face painting anyone had ever seen. As Sarutobi had made his way to the office, one Villager had succinctly summed up the majority of people's thoughts.

"_Are those.....Akimichi swirls? And how come the Shodai's the only one with trees growing out of his nose?!"_

There had been instant uproar. Everyone knew who the culprit was, there was no way it could be anyone else. And yet, no-one could catch him!

Teams of ANBU, Jounin, Chuunin and even Jiraiya himself had been trying all morning and yet, the 7 year old had taken to using the Chakra Beacon in his own unique way before using the true purpose of it; decreasing his Chakra output to disguise himself as a civilian who couldn't do any ninja techniques. Not to mention he was fast, knew the Konoha streets far better than his pursuers and also, the fact that every now and then the Shinobi had to waste time dodging random attacks being thrown at them and their resulting complications. One example of this was a Chuunin team led by Umino Iruka from the academy.

Iruka was leading this particular team because he was known for his gentle way of handling kids that seemed to create a bond of trust between the two. Just as they had rounded a corner chasing the young Jinchuuriki, they realised just who was the cat and who were the mice. A blue dragon formed entirely of water burst from the mouth of a non-descript civilian and hurtled towards the Chuunin. Immediately, the medium ranked ninja scattered their formation, taking cover behind the veranda of a fruit seller's shop. They couldn't have known that Naruto was _aiming_ for the cloth overlay that protected the stand outside advertising fresh fruit to all the potential customers that would walk by. The cloth immediately billowed inwards, straining against the volume of water it was trying to hold, before finally giving out and collapsing inwards; drenching the hiding ninja to the bone.

In their soggy moment of distraction, the irritating blond had upped and disappeared, his eventual location not a single person knew.

XXXXXX

Naruto's village-wide excursion of the Hokage Monument had been the only prank he had played that month. He had thrown himself into his training, his Taijutsu improving by practise and his Ninjutsu through scrolls. But TenTen was becoming more and more worried when the once sunny-blond didn't smile for almost a whole month. He was only worried about getting stronger and this seemed to go against everything he stood for.

A particularly clear moment had been when TenTen had come home from training at Higurashi Naoto's weapon store and informed her roommate of being taught sealing methods. The blond had jumped at the opportunity to learn another skill and had badgered the young girl into teaching him too. After much persuasion on Naruto's part, the bun-haired academy student relented; she would have anyway since Naruto let her learn from his scrolls, but she thought that she might be able to get a reaction from him if she was annoying.

And yet, he had kept a level head and simply continued to ask. Not even when TenTen had gone overboard saying that he couldn't possibly learn it as it was too difficult for him; he had just shrugged it off and proceeded to ask again.

Having taught the blond the basics of what she had learnt, she had proceeded to examine him for a few days. She was shocked and jealous at what she saw.

Naruto was getting stronger at an alarming rate. He had mastered all of the techniques he had been given and TenTen even saw him pull off the Kawarimi no Jutsu without hand seals! What really began to tip her scales, though, was that he was even receiving help from Jiraiya of the Sannin!

The seeds of her jealousy and anger had been planted and when she found Naruto with the three steps to learning the Yondaime's signature offensive technique. She quite literally lost herself and this led to her falling out with her friend. Her jealousy and pride so strong, on her request, she moved to the Higurashi's residence and continued to train there.

The impact of this broken friendship would cause huge consequences, not just to Konoha, but to the entire Shinobi world. It would not be for many years till their friendship was renewed.

XXXXXXX

Naruto stared down at the pair of short swords he had received from TenTen on his seventh birthday. They were a stunning pair, resembling the twin daggers Naruto had bought for his ex-friend on her birthday prior to the Uchiha event. They were a shining silver colour with a sapphire dragon stretching from hilt to tip, the silver of the blade accentuating the beauty and shine of the dragon. Every inch of the twin blades were polished to perfection, their edges sharpened and their hilts wrapped.

Naruto gazed forlornly at the blades. He had no idea why TenTen had been so angry at him. Was it because he was training so hard? Was it because he couldn't tell her about what happened that night and the subsequent conversation with the Hokage? Was it simply because he hadn't talked to her much?

Naruto couldn't comprehend the fact that it was a mixture of these reasons, added to her growing jealousy at the attention he received from the Hokage and Jiraiya. He knew it was his fault in some way; maybe he had been too hard on everyone. Deep down he blamed the entire fiasco on his inability to get over the tragedies that had accompanied him throughout his life.

No, he would no longer run away from his problems. He would no longer freeze up when he saw blood or a dead body. And he would definitely get strong enough to defeat the people that wanted him as an enemy. If ninja could kill, he would just have to be able to without being a Shinobi.

With his resolve once again stoked, Jiraiya noticed the complete reversion Naruto's personality had. He was once again the thrumming bundle of energy he had always been, but with a significant difference and this puzzled the elder ninja to no end. His best friend was no longer with him. The once inseparable pair of orphans were no longer seen together and Jiraiya knew he was hurting inside. Before he left for his latest spying mission in Tea, he absently wondered to what Naruto would direct his attention to after this development. Naturally he would be shocked when he returned.

ZZZZZZZ

There will be another time skip next chapter. As most of you would have gathered from reading this, the Massacre's events were necessary to set up the storyline and with that we end one of the major arcs of this fic!

Next chapter will see the prequel chapter to the 'Uzumaki World Tour Arc' and I'm sure that comment is going to all make you wonder just what the hell I mean by it! We see a return to the more humour-driven side of the story, but I don't want to give too much away! I bet no-one saw the breakup of Naruto and TenTen coming! I'd been planning that for a while! Just so you people aren't too angry about that I'm including an Omake!

ZZZZZZZ

OMAKE: The real reason for the 'Air Pads and Chakra Beacon Techniques.

ZZZZZZ

Naruto was stumped. There must be a reason to the Chakra Beacon other than to project your Chakra! I mean come on, when did you ever feel anyone using it?! If it was such a widely known Jutsu, why had he never felt it?

Experimenting with his Chakra constantly he noticed that his Chakra would move faster through his body whenever he used the Beacon. Was it possible to slow it down? If that was the case, shouldn't he be able to apply the same theory to the 'Air Pads' to allow him to walk without a sound?

'Hehe! Sounds like a new prank's in order!'

XXXXXX

It was midday in the Konoha market district. The hustle and bustle of the shoppers was at its height as vendors shouted out deals and customers rushed to buy the goods they needed. In the middle of this stood an average looking boy around 9 years old carrying a small duffel-bag from which he calmly took a pair of headphones that looked oddly like what a builder used when manning a pneumatic drill. After fixing them to his head, he brought his hands up and clasped them into a typical Shinobi hand seal.

And then utter chaos broke out.

Naruto, under three layers of disguise; a Henge to blend in, his Chakra levels lowered to that of an average citizen and his feet covered with a thin layer of Chakra that exited his body whenever he made a step, effectively causing him to make no noise as he walked, released all layers of his disguise and initiating the other use he had found in the Chakra Beacon.

Hatake Kakashi's head swivelled around as he silently patrolled the market districts, noticing the Kyuubi's Chakra being used in that direction. It was monstrous! The elite ninja was breaking out in a sweat at the possible meaning of such an event. Had the Kyuubi escaped its prison?

When he reached the location he almost sweat-dropped at the sight of Naruto laughing uproariously as every Villager around him ran around like chickens out of their hutch! The aura of death and decay had disappeared, and Kakashi sighed at what this would mean for him; more paperwork and cleaning up after the Villagers who couldn't hold their bladders...

ZZZZZZZZ

PS: REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

Hey people, I'm back! I know it was much faster this time, but that's because I'm not going to be around tomorrow to post this, so I decided to post it today! There may be a delay before the next chapter comes out, 'cause I'm not at home, so I don't know when I'll be back next! Definitely before the New Year though!

Most people were surprised with what I did with TenTen and I assured everyone who I could that I had been planning this and it would be shown why I only skipped over it last chapter. Remember they are both still young and TenTen isn't a Genin yet, so they're both prone to stupid immaturity and childish stubbornness.

Review Highlight goes to Midnight-light-63559! Your impassioned rant cracked me up! It was exactly the response I wanted and you asked all the right questions! Congratulations!

Fanfic Highlight goes to an author by the name of 'Pudgypudge'. His/her stories are well thought out and original, not to mention they get way more reviews than mine! (Cries!) If you haven't read any of them I recommend you check them out! 'The Melt' is one of my all-time favourites and his/her NarutoxBleach crossover is one that I think he/she should pay more attention to!

Anyway, chapter 12 people! I hope it doesn't disappoint!

ZZZZZZZZ

'A year. It's been a year already,' Naruto sighed as he thought back to what had happened with his only friend. It depressed him; he still didn't understand why she had been so angry with him. He had lost countless nights simply pondering over his actions, trying to find the solution to what he had done.

The Villagers' hate had been unconditional; they needed a scapegoat and he had been the prime target. But TenTen was different. He had lived with her, ate with her, trained with her even and he knew that she didn't hat him. There had to have been a reason for her actions, just he couldn't understand it.

'Argh!' He scratched his scalp with both hands in his agitation. 'I can't think about this again. I need to concentrate.'

In the year since TenTen had stormed out of his apartment in anger, Naruto had trained like crazy. Jiraiya had returned from his two week mission to find the blond with the first two stages of the Rasengan down-pat. If he had been surprised, it was nothing compared to the shock he had when he found the blond 8 year old making his own storage seal. Jiraiya had stood in the hallway of Naruto's apartment simply staring at him for a good five minutes, his mouth hanging open and his eyes bugging out of his head.

Once he had learned that TenTen had taught the skill to the boy, he had decided to give the blond Jinchuuriki some more guidance. He couldn't tip off the council that he was helping the blond though, so he would help one day and disappear the next, whenever he wasn't on missions. This quickly turned into a routine and after Naruto finished the Rasengan (It had taken him a total of 5 weeks.) Jiraiya had started him on the basics of Elemental training and Fuinjutsu.

But every night, the 8 year old would simply vanish and return the next morning with bumps and scrapes all over his body. On one occasion, Jiraiya found him slumped against his door with his hands clenched to his side, where a wood scalpel was buried deep into his flesh. Jiraiya had hastily performed first aid and was unsurprised to see the wound close within seconds after the offending weapon had been removed from the body.

Naruto refused to tell him what had happened. And although Jiraiya would question him many times, the blue-eyed brat just wouldn't answer. So Jiraiya gave up. And after a year had passed, Jiraiya was astounded at his godson's growth.

He hadn't focused on Ninjutsu at all apart from the Rasengan. No, what was amazing was his progress in the Sealing Arts and Elemental abilities. Although he wasn't so good with using advanced seals, he could adapt the smaller ones to do anything he wanted, for instance the Gama-Sennin had once caught him in a Konoha Public Training Ground using a modified Explosive Tag to boil the Village River. Every time someone would jump in for a swim they would get scalded by the hot water and Naruto would laugh quietly from the bush he was spying from.

It was even funnier when one day a fisherman had been trying to catch his lunch when Naruto had activated the tag. The fish had died quickly due to the change in temperature and all their bodies began to rise up to the surface. The fisherman thought he was being attacked by the un-dead or something similar, as he jumped up and ran screaming into town, ranting about "Cursed Tuna" and some other rubbish.

Similarly, Naruto could manifest his Elemental Affinity, but had not learnt any techniques to go along with it. His raw use of the skill though, said much for his ingenuity. When Jiraiya had explained that a kunai could be sharpened using wind Chakra and so it would cut through more things, Naruto had stared at him before his eyes had widened as if having an epiphany. Jiraiya had thought that there had simply been a delay in him understanding what he had been told, but then he had seen the blond's use of his affinity 2 days later. The blond not only coated the Kunai in wind Chakra to make it sharper, but he also caused a strong, yet focused burst to leave his hand as soon as he threw it and this caused the Kunai to travel far faster than any human could throw.

After the first few trees were toppled, Jiraiya advised him to stop lest the Rangers had to replant the whole training ground.

Needless to say, that although Naruto was very excited with his new skills, he was still affected by TenTen's departure. He had a constant conflict going on in his mind over whether it would have made a difference if had told her his secrets, but somehow that didn't seem like it was the reason for her ire at all. There was something else, but for the life of him, he simply couldn't figure out what it was.

Hence his dilemma, when he discovered a useful combination of his two newest skills.

XXXXXXX

Naruto gazed at his handiwork critically. He had created a seal to regulate his Chakra into wind without him having to channel it through his body and mentally convert it. The possibilities of this seal were limitless. Its prank potential was also infinite and he promised himself to place an ever present gust of wind in the home of the next person that annoyed him. Maybe he'd make it so strong that they could be blown out of their beds early at the crack of dawn?

Shaking himself, he decided to try out his new invention. He had placed the seal onto his own improvised surfboard. If it worked he should be able to surf, but in the air! He'd always wanted to try dive-bombing and most of his other 'rides' were becoming boring to the 8 year old.

The most hilarious use of his 'rides' had been when he had coerced Jiraiya into having a go. Having dubbed the man 'Ero-Sennin' for his shameless ways, the Gama-Sennin had agreed on the condition that the Uzumaki legacy stopped calling him such a derogatory nickname. Naruto had stipulated that as long as he didn't scream once in the whole ordeal, he would go along with it.

Poor, poor Jiraiya.

Naruto decided that to get 'Ero-Sennin' to scream, he would have to use his most dangerous one. As Naruto could attest, the perfect one to fit the bill was his self-dubbed TSS, or the 'Trampoline SlingShot'. This time he made sure to purchase 'A half' rubber for the actual slingshot, he wanted it to snap so that the guy would scream loud and clear. It made for a slightly awkward moment when Naruto walked into the Higurashi Weapon Store and TenTen had been manning the counter. Luckily he had managed to get what he needed and simply paid his money and left; TenTen's eyes had lingered on him all the while, and he could feel her glare boring into his back as he left the shop.

They had quickly set up the stunt in the same location that he and TenTen had originally tried it out. Naruto reflected on the fact that it had been her 8th birthday then, how could she not see that he wasn't trying to be rude or horrible or anything else?

Jiraiya had decided that he definitely wasn't going on the TSS unless it was proven to be safe; he didn't want a repeat performance of Naruto's human cannonball after all. And so Naruto had gone first. The novelty of the 'ride' had worn off since the last time he had tried it, maybe because TenTen wasn't with him, or maybe because his past events had changed him so much that he was no longer as excited about these kind of things as he was before.

Life and death situations could do that to a person.

As he plummeted to the ground, his mind went through everything that had happened and his future plans. He was going to try out his 'Air-board' and if it worked, he was going to leave Konoha for a while. There was no reason to stay, nothing to hold him back and no-one could stop him from just leaving without papers; they couldn't stop a bird from flying away could they? What convinced that he was right was the memory of that fateful day. He had returned from the Hospital and had refused to explain to TenTen what had happened that night.

"_But why can't you tell me? I want to know and it's not like it's a secret is it? You told the Hokage and Jiraiya-sama didn't you?"_

_Naruto hung his head. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her. His mind was a whirlwind of emotion and desperation, his senses heightened to incredible levels as if he was expecting an attack from all directions at any moment._

"_I just can't. It's my secret and mine only, and I almost died because of it!" Naruto's reply was tinged with despair, and yet, he didn't whisper._

"_So you can't trust me? Is that what you're saying? After everything we've been through, you can't trust me?!" TenTen's tone had hit a height that she seldom used even when she was angry._

"_I waited here for you all this time you know? I was so worried when they told me you were in the hospital and I came to see you straight away! What's so important that you can't trust me with it?! You know how we've lived; we can't survive without trusting each other! It's why I left that Orphanage in the first place!"_

_Naruto raised his head and stared hard into the girl's chocolate eyes._

"_What do you mean by that? You were the one who forced yourself in here and I didn't force you to stay! You can't understand how I've felt all these years on my own! I've been betrayed too many times to allow it to happen again!" Naruto's eyes were beginning to moisten, his heart was shaking in his chest at the question he knew she would ask next._

"_So you've been betrayed before and you still can't trust me? When have I betrayed you? I heard about the Kyuubi or whatever it is you know!"_

_Naruto's eyes widened in shock. How could she know? Who would tell her? Hadn't the Sandaime said that he had banned anyone from talking about it? His heart hardened at this revelation and his voice became monotonous._

"_I can't trust you, not with this.'_

_Her hand rose so fast that he almost didn't see it. But he didn't dodge the stinging slap that forced his head to the side._

_There were no more words. She simply turned and ran into her room and slammed the door shut. Naruto stood staring at the door with a look of silent contemplation on his face. Why was it so important to her that she knew his secrets? Were friends meant to tell all their secrets to each other? It wasn't like she had told him any secrets, so what was she angry about?_

Just before he impacted the ground, a strong breeze originated directly beneath his falling body, preventing him from slamming into the ground and gently laying him on the grass of the clearing.

"Alright brat, looks like fun. My turn!" Naruto smiled sourly.

Jiraiya was far heavier than Naruto and TenTen combined. The stress on the rubber would be enough to snap it almost straight away and Naruto hadn't minded going first if it meant the rubber would be weakened some.

As Jiraiya's form rocketed past him towards the parallel trees at the other end of the clearing Naruto remembered the last conversation he had had with his bun-haired roommate before she had left.

It had been a warm day in Konoha and the girl had gotten home slightly later than usual and as Naruto glanced up from the seal array he was making, he noticed a slightly grim expression on the older brunette's visage.

"_I'm leaving." Such a simple statement and yet Naruto froze at the words._

"_What do you mean?" TenTen simply stood in the doorway of the apartment as she regarded the younger blond._

"_I can't live like this. It's like the Orphanage all over again. You still can't tell me what happened that night?" Naruto shook his head stiffly. TenTen sighed._

"_Right, bye then. I'll be at Naoto-san's place if you need me, which you probably won't" the last bit came out scathing and Naruto could only stare glumly as the front door shut after TenTen's retreating form._

It had been such a simple departure and yet there wasn't any more finality than that. The moment the door had closed, the blond-headed Jinchuuriki felt the claustrophobia of being alone in the world once again. The gaping chasm in his soul that had begun to fill was once more completely empty.

He couldn't stay here because he'd go crazy. There was nothing left for him at the moment, only a fake grandfather-grandson relationship that Naruto really didn't know how shallow it went, and another 'pseudo-uncle' bond with an elite ninja whom he had no idea as to what were his true intentions. His only friend had left him; maybe it was time to try something new.

At Jiraiya's shout of surprise, Naruto glanced up quickly. He had to hand it to the man, the rubber had snapped and he was sent flying through the air at roughly the same angle Naruto had when he had landed near the hot springs, and yet, all he did was shout; he didn't even scream. Naruto immediately began sprinting in the direction of the bath-houses, sending Chakra to his feet and leg muscles to increase his speed to maximum.

He wouldn't reach there in time, but with any luck he should at least be able to see where the red-clad elder Shinobi would land.

He saw from a distance, the legendary Jiraiya's form fall into the women's side of the hot spring. Oh that wasn't going to end well at all! He was definitely getting a scream out of him though! Sure enough, through all the female screams emanating from the bath-house, one male scream was louder than all the rest, although, Naruto snickered, his scream sounded quite girly too.

XXXXXX

"It doesn't count!"

"You screamed, see? It's still a scream!" Naruto nodded sagely as he explained his reasoning.

"Yes but that was because I was getting beaten up by about 20 different women! Tell me you wouldn't scream if that happened?!" Jiraiya asked incredulously. The nerve of Minato's brat!

"Oh, I probably would scream too, just I wouldn't be in there in the first place. You still screamed Ero-Sennin, so I'm gonna keep calling you that!"

Although Jiraiya projected an angry demeanour on the inside he smiled. At least he made the kid act happier. It showed that he wasn't a lost cause. Now just to get him to patch up his friendship with the Higurashi apprentice.

"And since I won, you can't annoy me for the rest of the day ok? I'm goin' up to the monument for a bit." Jiraiya nodded quickly. If the brat needed alone time to think, who was he to stop him? At this rate, he could keep up with his 'research'!

As Naruto turned to begin his short trek, Jiraiya studied the back of his student's son's head. They were so alike at times, and yet so unlike each other in terms of experience. The Gama-Sennin frowned at the direction his thoughts had taken. Sarutobi was wrong about the kid being off his nut. The kid was fine; he was just trying to carry all the burdens of his world on his small 8 year old shoulders. It was unhealthy and stupid, but Jiraiya had faith in him, he was Minato's kid after all.

And with a smile he turned to begin his day's 'research' only to stare at the snapped piece of rubber hanging from the tree. Squinting Jiraiya read the frayed lettering inscribed on the material.

"A....Half....Max-Maximum weight....50kg." He stared dumbly for a few seconds.

"50KG!!!!! DAMN YOU NARUTO! YOU KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN, DIDN'T YOU?!"

Naruto smiled widely as he heard the shout.

Yep! All was not lost!

XXXXXX

Naruto stepped lightly onto the plank of wood he had hewn his 'Airboard' from. Now to test the seal.

Channeling his Chakra into the seal beneath his feet, the array lit up in an ocean blue glow. Immediately, a strong yet precise wind sprung up underneath the board and lifted it, Naruto included, slowly into the air.

'Now to test speed' Naruto increased the amount of Chakra going to his soles and the board responded almost immediately, jumping up almost a foot before Naruto cut his Chakra in surprise. As he landed with a thump, the 8 year old congratulated himself mentally.

'YES! It works! Now to test the handling.' This time the blond applied a constant amount of Chakra to the seal whilst spreading his Chakra to 4 other seals in equal amounts. In order to bank in different directions, Naruto had to add a seal that would channel wind Chakra to a specific part of the 'Airboard'. By altering the amount of Chakra to each 'direction seal' (as he began calling them) and keeping a constant amount to the main seal, he could effectively manoeuvre the board in almost any way he wanted. But the final test was needed before he set out on his world tour.

At least, Naruto grinned viciously, he could show the whole of Konoha his invention. And he was going to do it in the loudest way possible!

XXXXXX

It was a gentle summer, this year in Konoha. The air was free and pure, with nary a cloud to be seen in the sky. The heat from the sun was bearable for most and a light, refreshing breeze would occasionally blow, creating a fresh spring feeling in the atmosphere. As the Konoha Villagers went around their daily business, the natural equilibrium was soon to be very rudely broken.

Many looked up as a speeding black blur lifted from the Hokage Monument, directly above the Yondaime Hokage's stone head. It then proceeded to shoot toward the Hokage tower at the center of the Village. Banking on top of the tower, the figure turned 90 degrees facing vertically upwards and shot off, becoming smaller and smaller to the bewildered Villagers' eyes.

What in the world was going on?!

The figure rose fast, becoming nothing more than a speck and some foolish people thought it was another 'reach the moon experiment' by a stupid team of Genin. That was, until the speck started to grow bigger and bigger at a faster rate. As the figure rocketed downwards like a torpedo, the Konoha populace instinctively ducked as the person, and they knew it was a person now, pulled up from his insane nose-dive, a shockwave of wind and dust exploding on the ground just a foot below his hovering form.

Belatedly, the Villagers realised it was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, the Village pariah. Naruto once again zoomed forward at insane speeds, cutting a deep trench through the crowds of people as they jumped and dived to get out of the way, screams and shouts of shock rent the air as he zipped past; all the while cackling like a lunatic.

It was time to leave.

And just like that, the success of his latest stunt fresh on his mind, he turned and sped off in a North-Westerly direction. He didn't know what he was heading for, but he hoped it was fun!

Little did he know that he was in for far more than fun. The direction he had randomly chosen would lead him to a place where nearly everyone despised anything and everything to do with Konoha.

It would lead him to Iwa.

The country his father slaughtered in the last Shinobi war.

The father, he looked extremely alike.

ZZZZZZ

Dun dun DUUUUUUN! Heh, I was smiling so wide when I wrote about Jiraiya and his experience with the TSS. Initially I didn't know where I was going to go with that scene until I reread some of my past chapters and felt that it was perfect. So what do you guys think?

If anyone wondered how I decided the direction of Iwa, check out my profile for the link to a detailed Naruto World Map.

Next time, Iwa, WAR?! And a whole load of paint!

PS: REVIEW PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!


	13. Chapter 13

Yo, all, guess who's back?

I promised to update before the New Year and here it is! I don't know when I'll update next as I've got exams coming up, but hopefully you won't have to wait too long!

Review Highlights go to SunnyHinata and simplicity(dot)exe. SunnyHinata really moved me in her review and I really, really appreciate the praise! I don't really see my own writing as anything great because there are so many better authors out there, on this site even, but to be told that I managed to convey the emotions accurately was a huge boost for my motivation! I'm writing for you people and I hope you know that!

Simplicity(dot)exe cracked me up! I checked my email inbox to find a one word review and sat staring at it for a full minute, trying to comprehend a one-word review. Well I guess I understand the meaning of 'Pragmatic to a fault' now!

Fanfic Highlight goes to Shadowmaster62's 'Never Cut Twice'. It's one of the earlier fics on this site, but also one of the best. The premise and humour work very well in tandem and I aspire to deliver the same kind of story as he/she did.

Anyways, people, chapter 13!

ZZZZZZZZ

Iwagakure no Sato was one of the strongest five Shinobi powers of the continent. Their legacy had stretched back in the history of the Shinobi villages as one of the earliest to be formed along with Uzu no Kuni and Suna. Their favouring of rock-based Ninjutsu had led the 1st Tsuchikage to build Iwa entirely out of a mountain. This gave them quite possibly the best defense against attack than any other Village could claim, even Suna with its endless desert.

However, Iwa had been thwarted a few times. The first time was due to the dratted bloodline clans of fire country. After Iwa's defeat, this had led to the formation of Konohagakure no Sato by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara; Iwa had not been able to lay claim to the 'lands they deserved' due to the humiliation they had suffered at the hands of the lawless Bedouins.

And yet they had survived, pushing onwards in their lives. Iwa began to prosper due to the boom in their population growth, their retreat to their corner of the continent producing results that they had not expected before. And yet, with that advantage, came a huge disadvantage; the number of experienced Shinobi became less and less, until eventually; they were far outnumbered by ninja that had no field experience whatsoever. Their forces began to suffer, the quality of Shinobi dropping to far below the standard that was to be expected of one of the hidden Villages, their numbers a small concession to their dilemma.

And then they had been attacked, by not one, but two tailed beasts. The four and five-tailed Bijuu had laid havoc in their country, once again devastating the land they had worked so hard to create. The Bijuu had eventually been sealed, though the method and by whom was a great mystery. Again they had moved on, marching from their tragedies one after the other; their loyalty to their Kage absolute and their hearts hardened with the fame of their namesake.

They had allied with Kumogakure and through these actions; the Third Great Shinobi War had broken out. Due to their silence in the continent, they had not taken part in the Second Great Shinobi War and their numbers had once again risen to rival that of their pre-Bijuu days. The war had been long and overwhelming, and yet they had begun to prevail. Then without any warning, they had been routed in such a manner that would be remembered for all time.

It was a battle for a bridge, the turning point for that war, the name of which was 'Kannabi'. Iwa knew that it was a weak point in their frontline and it must be defended and so a team of valuable Jounin had been despatched to protect it. Imagine the Tsuchikage's surprise when he heard that not only had his Jounin been defeated by a Konoha team of mere _children_, but also that one quarter of his entire force had been wiped out in 30 seconds by a single golden-haired Shinobi. Needless to say he was furious.

And utterly, irreparably humiliated.

XXXXXXX

The Iwa populace could hardly be blamed for their reaction on this bright day. Somehow, unbelievably, their nemesis had returned to destroy them once and for all. At least that's what it looked like when they spotted a golden-haired, black-clad figure floating on the clouds above their village. It was so inconceivable to them, that it took them almost ten whole minutes to summon any sort of military presence to the scene.

Of course, for Naruto, he was just really confused over his apparent fame.

As he gazed bemusedly down at the massive sprawling town of limitless rock, he couldn't help but wonder why so many people were staring at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths, their fingers pointing and their faces pale. It was almost as if they were seeing a ghost.

For many of them, they were, but Naruto only cared about the largest scale prank he was ever going to pull, the contents of which he had currently tucked under his arm.

'Ah well! If they want to watch, all the more fun for me!' And with that thought he began to prepare his latest stunt.

Steadying his 'Airboard', he cut all Chakra to the directional seals and maintained a constant stream to the propulsion seal in order to remain stationary at his current height. He then pulled out a bright red balloon that had the words "Mega-Balloon! Can hold up to 50 gallons of absolutely anything you want! Perfect for those national parties or simply a birthday you want remembered!" After ripping the glowing advertisement and packaging from his 'equipment' he pulled out a small flask that declared: "Instant Infinity Paint! For the Shinobi out there, one simple Suiton Jutsu and you're ready to go!"

He emptied the contents of the flask into the open end of the red monstrosity. Replacing the flask in his utility pouch, he made the handseals for the Suiryudan and by regulating a tiny amount of Chakra into the technique, only a small dragon was produced from the open bottle of mineral water at his feet. As the water mixed with the 'Instant Infinity Paint', the 'Airboard' suddenly began to fall due to the blond redirecting his Chakra for the technique. Cursing at his lack of thought, the Konoha resident quickly rerouted his Chakra back to his feet and righted himself on the board.

The balloon literally 'ballooned' outwards as if attached to an air pump. It became so large that Naruto began to have a lot of trouble staying upright and as it grew further, he quickly tied his end and dropped it over the large rock spire of a building at the centre of the Village.

As it fell, the red monstrosity continued to expand until it dwarfed almost a quarter of the Village below it. The terrified Villagers looked up in abject horror as the massive shadow loomed over them, the colour oddly reminding them of blood. It was really a shame that the once mighty Village would become a laughing stock to the Shinobi World in the space of one night. The Tsuchikage would hurriedly attempt to block all avenues of the event escaping his borders, but alas, there just happened to be a team of three Konoha-nin on a scouting mission nearby and they would be instrumental in Iwagakure's humiliation by way of Omni-Paint.

And then it hit the tip of the Tsuchikage spire, and for lack of a better word, exploded. The contents of the balloon, a thick greyish-liquid, were thrown violently outwards and splattered all over the Village, even coating the gaping Villagers who were unlucky enough to be outside on this fateful day, in the viscous goo. Almost immediately, Naruto beheld the phenomenon that was 'Infinity Paint'. The grey liquid changed colour to match that of every shade in the rainbow, no two places were the same colour, and as the blond stared open-mouthed at his handiwork a stray thought hit his mind.

'Is that guy's pants pink?!'

And then he began laughing. The ominous, foreboding sound was like a death-gong to the shocked Villagers. They had been attacked by their worst enemy and he had not killed any of them; no, he had painted them. PAINTED THEM! In what seemed like every colour there _ever was_.

And then their Shinobi finally reacted, and Naruto was laughing too hard to realise that any and every weapon in the village was currently being thrown his way.

And so he fell.

XXXXXXX

Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui and Mitarashi Anko were the three Jounin assigned to one of the most dangerous and audacious missions that Konoha had ever accepted. It was not an assassination, nor was it anything that could be called routine, but what the three Jounin were attempting to accomplish had a very small chance of success.

After the Third Great Shinobi War, Iwa and Kumo had retreated to their respective corners or the Shinobi continent. A ceasefire had been signed but nothing had really progressed from there. Initially, relations with Kumo had been relaxed, both countries willing to talk to the other and trade had resumed. Konoha's communication network began to return to normal in the aftermath and the Raikage was doing nothing to get in the way. This encouraged the Sandaime Hokage of Kumo's post-conflict intentions, and so he began to take a more lax attitude towards them.

But the trust had been broken completely. After the improving relations had led to increased trade and fewer inhibitions between the two countries, the Raikage had decided to offer an alliance to Hi no Kuni and by proxy, Konoha as well. But it had simply been a farce. The Raikage had really sent his best Jounin to abduct the Hyuuga clan head's daughter as she slept, in order for Kumo to beget their own Byakugan bearing ninja. The plot, however, had been foiled by none other than Hyuuga Hiashi himself.

Kumo had insisted that they had nothing to do with it. The Sandaime suspected that the Raikage had had all information pertaining to the mission destroyed when it was revealed that the mission had failed. Kumo had covered their tracks well and Konoha would pay in the form of the life of the Hyuuga head's brother; Hyuuga Hizashi.

Thereafter, relations between the two countries had degenerated once again and the Sandaime had become wary of Konoha's past enemies. Iwa were still buried in their mountains and the Sandaime knew very well their hate of anything that would remind the rock-dwellers of their previous decimation.

So security had become a pressing concern for the Konoha government and the elders on the council were worried of another alliance being formed that could very well lead to the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

Kakashi and his team had been assigned this mission as the best of the best of Konoha's intelligence and infiltration cells. Out of the three, Kakashi, formerly ANBU captain codenamed 'Inu', had the most experience at the forefront of espionage for his country. Uchiha Shisui, the dubbed 'Shinkirou no Shisui' and one of the strongest wielders of the Uchiha bloodline, was an infiltration genius. His skill in Genjutsu was unsurpassed and so he was perfect material for this mission. Lastly, Mitarashi Anko, the student of Konoha's infamous missing-nin, Orochimaru, had been trained exclusively by the wily and cunning ex-Sannin.

Kakashi had nothing to worry about when it came to the abilities of his teammates. He had only just taken off his ANBU mask two weeks prior and he knew personally how meticulously the Sandaime chose teams for A-rank and above missions.

They had infiltrated Iwa without too much trouble, the advantages of Shisui being on their team showing through above all else. All it had taken was one cleverly designed Genjutsu and they were in free-country. But Iwa wasn't anything like Konoha in that, the ninja village was just that; exclusively for ninja. The Village only housed the country's Shinobi force and no civilians were to be found. Because of this, Kakashi had theorised that to cripple the country all anyone would have to do was disrupt the supply lines from the Civilian towns bordering Iwagakure, as without their source of supplies the Shinobi would starve.

Kakashi shook his head, that wasn't the problem at the moment. He had to keep snooping around acting like a Iwa-nin and hopefully pick up some information. Their mission was for 5 days and if they hadn't heard anything, they were to return home after the given period was over.

Kakashi frowned. Iwa wasn't all it cracked up to be. There WERE Civilians living here, either Sarutobi had misread the mission details or Konoha's intelligence forces were getting lax. The Shinobi and Civilian sectors were simply separated from each other, but they were definitely living side-by-side. Kakashi paused mid-step as several people around him began pointing up at the sky and shouting.

"It's the Kiroi Senkou!" Kakashi's head whipped up so fast that he might have got whiplash. He hadn't heard that nickname in a while. It was the name given to his deceased Sensei for the move he had used to win the last Great Shinobi War. Why on Earth would they be saying that? Didn't they know that the Yondaime Hokage had died?!

And then his blood froze.

Floating in the sky, directly above the Tsuchikage spire, was none other than Uzumaki Naruto. Kakashi's eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the phenomenon that was Naruto's 'Airboard'. He was flying! How the HELL was he managing that?!

As his mind wandered over the possibilities of such a technique and its benefits, his battle-hardened subconscious kicked into gear. It was a fact that Naruto did indeed look like Namikaze Minato and that would mean that any minute now there would be a massive fight in the area. Naruto was strong for his age, but there was no way he was getting out alive from this situation on his own.

Kakashi raised his hands to his slanted hitai-ate. Things were going to get ugly and fast. His team's mission was practically over yesterday since they had found that the Tsuchikage was most definitely not willing to go to war with Konoha at this point and he had mentioned as much in a meeting Kakashi had managed to bug. Quickly, he initiated the Chakra Beacon in a short two second burst before cancelling the technique. It was a dead giveaway to anyone who knew his Chakra Signature but that wasn't important at this point. He needed to alert Shisui and Anko and then they needed to rescue the Jinchuuriki and get the hell out of there.

Kakashi wasn't disappointed. Within two minutes, just as a Doton: Doryu Dango hit Naruto's 'Airboard' and the blond began to fall, Anko and Shisui appeared at his side in their respective disguises.

"You see the situation. This is a Code Red order. Rescue the target, preferably maintaining our cover and then meet at escape point 2." Kakashi's voice was almost a whisper, but he could tell they understood. Shisui and Anko had recoiled at the sight of the blond Uzumaki and Kakashi was relieved that they recognised the kid for who he was. Just as Naruto was about to hit the ground, all three Shinobi sprang forward and caught the young boy. Kakashi turned to address the crowd of incensed civilians and ninja.

"We will take it from here." It was a short but authoritative statement and although many nodded, a few of the Shinobi had mistrust painted on their features.

"What do you mean you'll take it from here?! We're going to kill that man for what he has done to us!" The gathered crowd began voicing their assent at such intent.

"This is not the Yondaime Hokage if that is what you are thinking. Has all sense left you?! Namikaze died almost a decade ago! How could this be him?! No, we'll arrest this kid and drop him off at interrogation. He has no headband so maybe he's a missing-nin?" Kakashi's eyes narrowed under his Genjutsu. There were obviously some higher ranked ninja in the mob and they were becoming suspicious.

"Who are you to do such things? State your names and your ranks with Shinobi ID numbers!" Kakashi winced. So it would be a fight then.

The Iwa Shinobi didn't even know what hit them. One minute they were looking at 3 Iwa Jounin holding a blond kid captive, the next, up to 7 of them had been incapacitated. It had obviously been a Genjutsu as now they were gazing upon none other than Hatake Kakashi, the Konoha ninja famous in the Shinobi world as 'Konoha's Copy-Cat' and 'Shinkirou no Shisui'. The third member, they couldn't identify, but she was definitely dangerous if she was accompanying the other two.

There had been a short lull as the Genjutsu had dropped, but as soon as the Iwa ninja realised just who they were dealing with, the world exploded into action.

Kakashi leapt in front of his two teammates, his hand crackling with electricity as he prepared his most powerful original technique: the Raikiri.

"Anko, you're the fastest here. Take the kid and meet at the location I told you. Shisui, I need backup." They responded immediately. Up to now, Naruto had remained silent at the events that were occurring around him, but when the Genjutsu had dropped and he had seen Shisui-san, he had gaped in shock.

And now this woman was trying to run away with him?! He hadn't done anything wrong! Well...apart from painting half the village a variety of colours, but that shouldn't make people hate him! And what was this about the Yondaime Hokage?!

Anko took off, leaping into great bounding strides with the grace of a snake, her body twisting and turning to avoid anything that crossed her path. Naruto was only able to see Shisui begin to make some hand seals before the two were out of sight. Naruto gasped in pain as the woman's arms tightened like a vice around his waist as she made a giant leap for the edge of a building leading to the boundary of the Village.

"Kid, you know how to use those swords?" The question was almost lost to the rushing winds of their escape.

"Err, kinda. I've only had a few lessons. A um-friend of mine taught me a bit." Anko nodded sharply.

"Good. You might have to use those skills."

And just like that, the 8 year old and his escort were surrounded by 4 ninja sporting the Iwa hitai-ate. They obviously knew their home ground far better than the Konoha Jounin did, but this was an inevitable encounter. Anko knew that Kakashi had given her the brat because he knew that she had the best chance of getting out quietly.

Dropping Naruto, the Kunoichi fell into her preferred Taijutsu stance. She was well know in Konoha for her use of the Hebiken, a graceful yet deadly form of Taijutsu that meshed well with her choice of Ninjutsu. But she alone, would be of little use in this situation, so she was going to use all the tools she had at her disposal.

"Kid, I know this is short notice but....I wanna live so we're gonna have to fight." Naruto stared blankly at her admission and was startled when Anko flashed past him, slamming her fist into a wooden log that was an obvious result of the Kawarimi no Jutsu.

Rage boiled up within Naruto's very being. These people were mocking him! Why did they fight unnecessarily? To what ends were they forcing him to stain his hands in blood once again?

"_And that is all the proof you require. If you resist me, then grow strong, strong enough to fight me. You have tasted but a particle's worth of my strength so know what you are up against. But know this; I will be back, and when I return it is either your death or mine, Uzumaki Naruto."_

The words that the criminal Uchiha had spoken resounded in his mind. The proof that he required, the proof that he was a Jinchuuriki and the proof that for the rest of his life, he would have to fight to earn a place in this cruel, cold world.

"_....it_ _is either your death or mine, Uzumaki Naruto...."_

Like hell he was going to die! There was no way he would allow himself to succumb to the wishes of that weirdo without fighting it with every inch of his life. He wasn't a Shinobi, he wouldn't be used, but he damn well knew how to fight!

Every action thereafter, was like a dream to the young blond. Anko had her hands full dealing with two of their attackers whilst the other two sprang to fight him. He raised his head, his resolve shining in his eyes with such intensity that the two Iwa ninja paused, and that cost one of them his life.

Naruto's hands raced through the seals for the Hibana and in a burst of speed, slammed his index and forefinger into the nerve cluster just above the rock-nin's spine. The figure instantly crumpled into unconsciousness as Naruto sprang backwards towards his second opponent balancing on a water pipe of the Village's drainage system.

It was then that Naruto noticed where he was. It was a dimly lit side-street, filled with rubbish and big, black bins. Obsidian pipes ran from the top of the buildings on either side of him, to drainage gutters situated at the bases of the buildings, where the walls met the ground.

Naruto reeled backwards as Anko was thrown down the street, her body missing Naruto's head by millimetres. Glancing quickly, Naruto spied one of her opponents clutching at his shoulder, blood running down his arm and dripping from his fingertips. The other was nowhere to be seen but Naruto wasn't stupid enough to believe that the guy had been defeated, he'd seen too many people disappear and then been hit by something without being able to see.

His hands snapped up once again as he initiated the Shinju Zanshu. He quickly melted into the ground attempting to pop up behind his second opponent, but Anko's injured enemy gave a shout and when Naruto reappeared, the Iwa-nin was no longer there.

Reaching back, Naruto gripped the hand guard of one of his swords criss-crossing across his back. He quickly slid the silver and blue blade from his sheathe in time to block the Kunai aimed for his head. Spinning quickly, he threw the short sword channelling wind Chakra as he did so. The blade blew down the street slamming into the unfortunate Iwa-nin's injured shoulder, throwing him bodily into the wall, into which the blade sank all the way to the hilt. The man screamed in pain at the injury as he tried in vain to extract the sword from his body. It was by no means a critical injury but at least he wouldn't interfere.

Naruto searched drastically for his opponent. Without warning, a large cloud of brick and dust ballooned outwards from the adjacent building and the bodies of Anko and her first opponent came blasting through the wall. Both impacted with a 'thud' and slumped to the ground. The last Iwa Shinobi appeared at the end of the side-street, anger glowing in his eyes as he bore down on the unfortunate blond.

Naruto knew that there was no way he could win. He had only managed to get the first guy because of attacking at the least expected moment and the ninja had been pre-occupied with something. This was a whole lot different. One-on-one with what appeared to be a Jounin was not something Naruto wanted to do anytime soon, but his rescuer was knocked out and there was no way he was going to abandon her after it was his fault that she had blown her cover.

Forming the Rasengan in his right hand, his hair flapped in the wind created by the technique as he stepped in front of the two unconscious Shinobi. Dully, he noted that the Iwa-nin he had knocked out had been hit by a Kunai, probably thrown by Anko, directly in the forehead. He was dead, without a doubt.

In his brief lapse of concentration, Naruto instantly recognised his mistake. Damn! Every time he looked away, his enemy was in his face!

Naruto's head snapped back as he was slugged in the nose. With an audible 'crack' the cartilage of said protrusion caved in and blood burst from his face. As he flew through the air from the force of the punch, he was idly aware of a very solid projectile slamming into his small body with all the force of a charging pitbull. It was lucky for him that he was falling unconscious as he had been hit by a deadly Doton Jutsu that he didn't know the name of.

He hit the ground and almost immediately fell into blissful darkness.

XXXXXX

Naruto's eyes opened to a strange sight. What looked like two blobs sitting next to a glowing yellowy-red blob? His eyes focused further and he recognised the strange scene for what it was; Shisui and the silver haired man sitting next to a fire. He raised his head slightly, taking in the forest clearing they were obviously camping in, it was dark out and they were surrounded by trees.

"Naruto, you awake there kid?" It was Shisui who had spoken.

Naruto grimaced at the dull pain that throbbed throughout his entire body. Whatever had hit him was definitely not something he ever wanted to experience again!

"Don't try to move just yet. You're still healing and we can't have you injuring yourself any further." Shisui's voice was more serious than Naruto had ever heard it. Just what had happened back there?

"Where's the fighter woman?" Shisui and the silver-haired nin exchanged glances.

"Fighter woman?! You mean Anko?! Haha! That's going to be hilarious when it hits the Jounin lounge, eh Kakashi?" The silver-haired man nodded absently, his focus entirely directed at the Konoha Jinchuuriki. The gaze was unnerving, but Naruto stared back anyway.

"She's fine Naruto. She just got a bit of a concussion."

"A concussion? What's that mean?" Shisui chuckled slightly.

"She banged her head, that's all. By the way, this yours?" Shisui held up one of his short swords. Naruto stared at it trying to remember how he had lost it in the first place. Hadn't he thrown it at that guy?

"If you're wondering, yeah I took it from that Iwa idiot's shoulder. That was one hell of a throw by the way! It took me 2 minutes to pull the damn thing out of the wall!" Naruto shrugged.

"I put some wind Chakra behind it. It's nothing special." Naruto's eyebrows rose as he saw the two exchange identical looks of incredulity.

"You can use Elemental Chakra?" This time the question was asked by the silver haired man Shisui had called 'Kakashi'.

"Errr, yes? I've been able to use it for a while now." Naruto heard a distinct 'incredible!' from the Uchiha as Kakashi studied him intensely.

A brief silence fell over the camp as Naruto wondered why they were so surprised. He'd been learning techniques for so long now, that he could hardly imagine life without his training and scrolls.

"What were you doing in Iwa anyway? Aren't you meant to be in Konoha?" Naruto looked up at Kakashi's question, frowning at the slanted headband that hid the Shinobi's left eye. Why was his eye covered?

"Ah! Um, well I was a bit bored stayin' there so I decided to see what the world was like!" Naruto's hasty explanation didn't seem to go over well with the two though, as they simply gave him blank looks.

"Kid, you were flying in the air, on what looked like a big branch from a Konoha tree. What the hell were you doing really?" Shisui's tone was dull. "And please don't tell me it was another stunt. Your stunts tend to hurt people." Shisui unconsciously rubbed his right cheekbone where he had been hit from Naruto's 'Ninja surfing'.

"Ehehe..."

"For God's sake, you let off the biggest damn paint balloon in the history of the world! You telling me it was for fun?! Don't you know that Konoha was at war with Iwa only a few years ago?!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head lightly.

"Um....yeah?" How was he supposed to know about the war?! It's not like he went to school. Everything he learnt was self-taught or through scrolls, he had no idea who hated Konoha. But even then, how did they know he was from Konoha?

"Why did they attack me though? It's not like I have a Konoha headband." Shisui and Kakashi exchanged worried looks.

"Beats me kid, but apparently you look like someone from our home that they all know." Naruto nodded in confusion. He didn't understand that, he'd never seen anyone who looked like him. The closest anyone got were the Yamanaka's with their blond hair and blue eyes; but their shade was far paler than his. Plus, his complexion was quite a bit darker, there was no way they could have thought him a Yamanaka.

'Ah well, I did everything I needed to, that's the main thing.'

Glancing around, Naruto noticed that Anko was laid out behind him, her head covered in a swathe of bandages. The bump was an angry purple colour, but other than that she looked fine. Turning from the sleeping Kunoichi, he noticed that Kakashi's gaze was still riveted on him.

"What?"

"That was one BIG Paint Balloon!"

"Hey Kakashi, did you see the Tsuchikage hanging out of the Iwa Spire? His hat was bogey green!"

All three erupted in laughter.

ZZZZZZZZZ

OMAKE: A mix of Nemo and Naruto?! (This is canon Naruto by the way, pre-timeskip)

ZZZZZZ

Naruto stumbled home after a hard day of training. Ero-Sennin was pushing him so hard to make him feel this 'other Chakra' that was inside of him. Naruto still didn't know why it was so special, although more Chakra was always a good thing.

He stumbled again, in a shortcut he had taken to get home faster, a small scroll lay at his feet. Picking it up, he read the faded Kanji on the front; "Summoning Contract for the Tank Brotherhood?! What the hell's that mean?!"

Unrolling the offending object, he was engulfed in a puff of smoke and everything went dark.

XXXXXX

Our blond hero awoke with rocks being thrown at him.

"H-HEY, WHAT'S THAT FOR?!" Turning around, he spied what appeared to be a sea crab. Immediately he backed away from the enormous animal. That THING could eat him whole!

"Follow me!" The crab spoke in a French accent as he beckoned and began walking- err...crawling? away. Naruto was left blinking at the fact that the 'thing' had just talked to him. He'd never seen a sea crab in his life before, but he definitely knew that they couldn't talk.

Cautiously, he made his way behind the large creature and as he approached what appeared to be a mountain in front of him, he suddenly realised something. He was surrounded by water! And he could breathe and talk! Just what was going on here?!

He suddenly began to hear some odd chanting. As he approached the mountain, 3 more enormous figures rose around the mountain, chanting the weird tune that he had heard before.

"WA-HOO-WA-HEE-WA-HOO-HOO-HOO!" What language was that meant to be in? Naruto definitely didn't know!

As he walked up to the side of the mountain, he saw what appeared to be a human-sized starfish attached to the side of the mountain. He climbed up the side to get to the top of the glowing peak. Another figure suddenly rose above the mountain, startling the blond Genin. The chanting stopped in the background.

"State ya name." The imposing blue and white-striped 'Fish' (It was the only word to describe the odd experience in the blond's mind) spoke in a scratchy tone.

"Errr, Naruto?"

"Brother Blood, proceed." Naruto sweat-dropped at the ridiculous name as one of the chanters 'swam' forward.

"Naruto! Newcomer of Orange and White! You have been called forth to join us in our bonds of Tankhood!"

"Eh?"

"He means you'll be our summoner kid." Naruto stared incredulously at the starfish who had spoken to him. All these fish could talk?!

"Um- OK?"

"If you can swim throooooooooooough.....THE RING OF FIRE!"

Naruto glanced around. Was something meant to have happened? The guy-errr fish, was all dramatic and then nothing happened.

"I said the ring of fire, where's the ring of fire?!"

"Ah, Oui!"

"THE RING OF FIRE!" Naruto sweat-dropped again as a stream of bubbles erupted from the mountain's peak. That's what they call fire?

"Hey, hey! That's not fire, see? My Sensei can do fire Jutsu and that's just bubbles." The gathered fish looked at him like he was crazy.

'Is it just me, or am I the only sane one around here?' He didn't recognise the sheer absurdity of his own thoughts.

Stepping forward, he jumped heavily through the bubbles and landed on the other side. The apparent leader, the blue and white striped tang, moved forward and addressed him once again.

"Henceforth, you shall be known as Sharkbait."

"Sharkbait OO-HA-HA!"

"What kind of name is that?!"

"It's a name of tankhood, Sharkbait."

"Sharkbait OO-HA-HA!"

"Would you shut up with that?!"

"Sharkbait.........ooooooh I've got a stomach-ache....."

Naruto sweat-dropped heavily.

"I don't think I want to be your Summoner, I mean you're only a bunch of crazy fish!"

ZZZZZZZZZZ

HEHE! That Omake was on my mind for quite a while; I hope you guys liked it! The similarities between Nemo and Naruto are surprising and whilst I was watching it again for the, what must've been the 100th time, I decided to have them in the story!

Anyway, Naruto and Co. have escaped Iwa. Next time, we hit Kirra Bee, Yugito and a whole lot of sword! Be there or be square!

PS: REVIEW!


	14. Chapter 14

Guess who's back?! Sorry about the delay, but as I said last chapter, updates are going to be sporadic until the end of the month due to my exams. I did manage to punch out this chapter though, and it was one of my most fun to write!

Fanfic highlights go to Reaper Nanashi's 'Vis à vis' and 'If Only' by Mari Falcon. Both fics share a similar plotline and I was an early fan of Nanashi's DNT before it went on hiatus. 'Vis à vis' is the direct result of DNT and I can tell you that it's bigger and better than its predecessor!

'If Only' was very similar to DNT, but it had quite a few differences. Falcon started a sequel but it hasn't been updated in quite a while. Nevertheless, I recommend both fics as excellent reads, and if you enjoy them, do leave a review!

Review Highlights: A big thank you to Eric3D2B, The Mad Tsuchikage and Surfwizard. You guys picked out my huge mistake and let me know and I was able to modify and fix it quite quickly because of your efforts. Raziel Tepes made me laugh with a review that went: "^^" and that's all! As per SunnyHinata's review, I have changed the summary slightly to reflect the slight change in plot that has occurred recently, so thank you very much SH!

Lastly, a big thank you to Warslasher, who attempted to rip my plot apart point-by-point. I know you don't necessarily like my plot, but your review was invaluable and I hope in time you will come to enjoy what I am trying to portray!

Apart from that, Lainana has submitted an excellent picture of Naruto before he left Konoha; the link can be found in my profile. Also, I have a challenge going for anyone who wants to try drawing the TSS, again, details in my profile! Everyone seemed to like the Omake last chapter, I hope I can think up more like it!

Anyway, that was a huge author's note wasn't it? On with chapter 14!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Naruto was officially bored. And when Naruto is bored, bad things happen. In this case, Naruto had taken to playing pranks on the two uninjured Jounin who were content to sit and wait out Anko's injury on the Hi/Taki border. As their mission had ended earlier than expected, they could afford to waste some time before going back, and Shisui was adamant to 'face the music' after getting his fun time.

Anko had woken up the day after their escape. The two Jounin and the 8 year old crowded round her prone body and Kakashi was belted in the face within seconds of her waking up.

"_Tch! Scarecrow, why'd ya take so long?"_

And that had all she had said for the rest of the day. Now two days after their escape, Anko was still resting, but insisted that she would be able to move out when the morning came. Shisui had regarded her suspiciously, but when she had turned to glare at him, he had turned away, a whistle-tune on his lips.

This led to the blond Jinchuuriki's current boredom. Neither of the male Jounin had wanted to stick around at the camp and face the Mitarashi's sour mood from her injury. Kakashi had disappeared, probably to read the orange book he carried around everywhere, and Shisui had gone hunting for dinner that night.

Naruto knew he would never find the Cyclops Jounin and so he decided to 'wedgie' the Uchiha instead. It would be more fun, he reasoned, to see the pale faced clansman with his pants over his head than it would on anyone else in their little group, and there was no way in hell he was doing anything to Anko!

Crouching in a bush, he spied Shisui blending in with his surroundings. He was obviously doing a bad job, but then again, normal cattle were not as receptive as humans so maybe he didn't need to be anymore stealthy. Curiosity winning over his prank-full mind, he observed the teenage Uchiha instead of dishing out his mortal embarrassment.

Shisui was crouching as still as a statue, his right arm reared back and his left hand placed on his hip for balance. Directly in front of him, not 10 metres away, stood a deer, its proud golden mane fluttering in the slight breeze of the mid-afternoon sun. Naruto giggled quietly. Oh this was too juicy to pass up!

Shisui's right arm tensed, an obsidian Kunai flashing into his hand as it caught the sun's rays in its movement, his entire being coiled like a snake targeting its prey.

"HEY! Wat'cha doin'?"

"ARRRRGH!" The deer bolted at the first sound from Naruto's mouth, breaking into a great galloping gait as the Uchiha screamed.

"AHHH GOD DAMMIT!" The Uchiha slammed his Kunai into the ground in frustration at his missed opportunity. Naruto, meanwhile, simply grinned. 'Oh yeah! Score: blondie 2 – pale-face – 0.'

"What the hell did you do that for Naruto?! Couldn't you see I was hunting that deer?!"

"What deer?" Naruto looked side-to-side innocently. "Don't see no deer!"

Shisui simply stared at him, before sighing and tugging his Kunai from the ground. Just as he was pocketing the blade, he paused, his eyes widening as he turned to Naruto.

"What?"

"I'm hunting"

"So?" Naruto's smug grin slipped slightly at the intense expression on his friend's face.

"You're a Wind user."

"Errr....so?"

Shisui's eyes lit up in excitement.

"You can help me! Think about it! All you need to do is nail that guy with one of your swords and bingo! We have meat on the table!" Naruto stared at the Jounin like he was insane.

"You're an Uchiha right? The best of the best? And you need me to help you hunt?" His question didn't seem to faze the teenager at all and Naruto sweat-dropped as he viewed his friend hopping around in excitement.

"Are you tellin' me....that you couldn't catch that deer on your own? Ain't you like....THE Genjutsu guy? Why don't you just illusion it into a fire or somethin'?" Shisui paused in his cavorting, his eyes suddenly becoming desperate.

"Shut up!" He hissed, "Don't tell anyone about this! It's not my fault I can't hunt! Itachi was the one..."

The pale-skinned Jounin trailed off as he looked down at the ground. The greens of the foliage blending with the browns of the ground and the trees like a tapestry. Itachi? Hadn't he heard that name before?

"Anyway, you can't put a Genjutsu on most animals. Contrary to popular belief, most animals don't have enough mental energy to sustain Chakra in their bodies, and no, they don't die because of it, they still have a heart."

Naruto looked at the Jounin with a blank expression.

"Ble-le-lel-le What?" The Uchiha sighed again.

"Most people think that everything that lives needs Chakra to survive. But that's wrong. Most animals and plants don't have enough brain cells to keep a Chakra system."

"Oh!" Naruto nodded in understanding. Now he knew something that other people didn't, how cool was that!

"As I was saying, can you help me kill that deer?" Naruto's grin became full-blown.

"Whyyyyyyy should IIIIIIIII?" Shisui glared at the young blond.

"Damn you Uzumaki! You just want me to say that again don't you?!" Naruto cackled in glee.

"Fine! I'm rubbish at hunting! Happy now?" Naruto laughed uproariously.

"Ahahahahaha! The mighty Jounin needs help from a civilian to catch his dinner! Ahahahaha!"

Shisui smacked him upside the head.

"OW!"

"Well?"

Naruto rubbed the tender patch of his scalp. Strangely the pain had subsided straight away. 'Why have I never noticed that before?'

"Ok, ok, I'll do it." Shisui nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, because it's a deer, you don't need to lower your Chakra levels, which I know you can do; Kakashi-Sempai told me that you can. It'll be simple, we hide near it, and you simply throw your sword like you did at that Iwa guy and then we'll kill it!"

Naruto grimaced. Just how much did that one-eyed Jounin know about him? It was like he knew everything about his abilities.

Naruto and Shisui turned towards the path that the deer had fled through.

"You know how to track?" Naruto shook his head as they bounded through the trees.

"You see those hoof marks in the ground?" At Naruto's nod, he continued. "That's the most obvious way. On soft earth like in Fire Country, the weight of an animal or a human causes slight depressions in the earth. It's harder to distinguish lighter objects, but there are other signs to look for." Shisui indicated the ground as they flew overhead.

"See, as the animal runs, it steps on twigs and breaks them in half. It scatters leaves that would otherwise be near the trees. You just need to look carefully and you'll find the signs that you are looking for."

Naruto peered down at the ground, intensely scrutinising the forest floor. Sure enough he could spot twigs snapped irregularly and leaves scattered in obvious patterns. It was clear that something had gone through here recently.

"With Shinobi, it's slightly more complicated. Most upper Chuunin and Jounin know the 'Air Pads' exercise and so can move through areas without disturbing the floor but there are things that give them away. Look at my feet. As I land, I have to regulate the Chakra in my soles to adjust to the new surface. Most of the time it's impossible to get the levels exactly right and this causes small differences in the places I land.

Naruto paused on a branch as he watched Shisui land on one before taking off again. As his foot almost touched the bark, a small indent was gouged into the surface before Shisui sprang into the canopy once again. Hurrying to catch up, Naruto drew level with the Jounin.

"Yeah I saw it! That's amazing!" The Uchiha's mouth twitched slightly as if he was trying not to smile.

Suddenly, he indicated downwards with his hand before pointing to a bush at the edge of a clearing. The two friends slipped quietly between the leafy plants and slowly peaked over the top.

The deer they were chasing was standing at the side of a river. Its head swivelled 180 degrees in agitation from its previous attacker, nostrils flaring and eyes rolling in their sockets. Naruto faintly regretted that in a few moments, the beautiful brown deer, prideful and shining in the afternoon light, would be dead. Silently, he gazed down at his own hands, likening the imminent demise of the poor animal to his own hands.

He hadn't killed before, not yet. He had been the cause of two deaths, the first in that mission he didn't know he was taking part in and the next, when escaping from Iwa. He vividly remembered the Kunai buried up to its hilt in the Iwa-nin's forehead, Anko having thrown it sometime after Naruto had knocked him out. The blond knew that eventually, he was going to have to take a life. People were out to get him, the example of Uchiha Madara so fresh on his mind as if haunting his every breath and movement. His resolve wavered slightly as he tried to come to terms with the death of something so innocent and magnificent.

No, he wouldn't back down, not after coming this far.

The Sandaime had helped him, no matter how much he began to realise that his relationship was weakening. Jiraiya had trained him even though he didn't need to. And most of all, TenTen. She had helped him without knowing anything about Naruto's experiences. She had simply accepted that Naruto wanted to train, even though he had no intention of becoming a Konoha Shinobi.

Even Shisui was helping him; he didn't have any reason to. In fact he had a reason to hate the blond; and yet he didn't. Naruto reached up to his right shoulder, sliding one of his dragon blades from its sheath in a slow, fluid motion.

Shisui simply watched; his hand placed firmly on the 8 year old's left shoulder, exuding a calm and confident aura. If that was what the kid needed, then he could give it. It was the least he could do after he had seen the blond save Anko's life.

He hadn't said anything and neither had Kakashi. Just as they had arrived, they had spotted Naruto hopping in front of the downed Kunoichi, the glowing spirals of the Rasengan revolving in his hand. He could have run like they had wanted, escaped into the land around Iwa without anyone noticing and yet he hadn't. He had stood protecting the form of his rescuer, the blue glow of the Fourth's trademark technique dancing along the shadowed walls of the small alleyway they had been fighting in.

It had been quite a sight and if Shisui had needed any further proof that the kid was in no way the Kyuubi, it was there, staring him in the face.

His hand tightened slightly on the blond's shoulder and Naruto glanced at his face.

"We all have to die kid. Whether in battle or laying down 80 years from now. Do we survive to protect ourselves, or do we starve and let our enemies kill us?"

Naruto nodded slowly, his arm rising up to the level of his ear, his short sword pointing horizontally forward.

And then he threw.

Shisui hadn't seen when Naruto had nailed the Iwa-nin to the wall using the very same move, but he had yanked the sword from the unconscious body as he and Kakashi retrieved their teammate. He knew it was a powerful move, but watching it personally was a whole other experience.

The blade literally tore through the air, travelling at an insane speed that the Uchiha had a hard time tracking with his eyes. He could probably track it with his Sharingan, but there was no way he'd be able to dodge something like that. The blade flew, the silver of the blade catching the sun, almost blinding the beholder. The sapphire dragon twisting from the hilt to the tip sparkled and glittered as if the dragon itself was alive, the ocean blue spot for the eye, flashing from excitement at its prey.

This time, the blade didn't catch onto the animal. Instead, it blew a hole right through the right haunch of one of the deer's legs. Naruto watched in slight disgust as the dapple-brown animal toppled onto its side, pitiful whinnying sounding through the clearing. Shisui grinned, clapping the blond on the shoulder.

"Nice shot! Let's get this guy to camp. We're having deer for dinner!"

Naruto stood queasily, trudging towards the tree his blade had sunk into to retrieve it. As Shisui hefted the deer onto his back, the blood from the wound miraculously absent, he shouted.

"AND DON'T TELL ANYONE I CAN'T HUNT!"

XXXXXXX

The three Jounin and one blond Konoha civilian sat around the warmth of their small campfire, their stomachs full and their appetites content. Naruto glanced around at the three faces of the adults around him. Kakashi stood out with a shock of silver hair sticking up like a Cuckatoo, his hitai-ate tied to his forehead slanting downwards, covering his left eye. Naruto didn't know what was behind the bandanna, whatever it was it must have been something interesting; why else would the Jounin hide it?

Sitting to his right was Shisui. The teenage Uchiha looked like a typical member of the prestigious clan; black flowing hair tied in a knot at the base of his skull, blue T-Shirt with the Uchiha fan emblazoned on the back and pale, china-glass features. He was sitting back against the stump of a tree, a contented grin spread across his face. Naruto thought he looked a bit like a baby.

Lying on her left side directly opposite to Shisui, was Anko. She had recovered well from the hit she had taken when they escaped from Iwa. She still had bandages covering her head, but the predatory grin she kept sneaking at Kakashi's face mask showed that she was up to her usual antics, of which Naruto had no idea.

Kakashi had been reading an orange novel for a while now, but suddenly he stood, snapping the book closed.

"Alright, I'm going to scout the area ahead of our departure in the morning. Shisui, get this place cleaned up and then lay some traps and a Genjutsu for while we sleep." Turning, the silver-haired Jounin leaped out of the camp in one huge bound. Shisui's grin became even wider.

"Ahhh! I guess I'll get to it then! Naruto, Anko, have fun!" Naruto got the distinct impression that both Jounin just wanted to get out of there now that Anko was awake. It seems that Kakashi was aware of Anko's devious looks while they were eating. Naruto was reminded once again that the Jounin were a lot better than he gave them credit for.

The blond-headed Jinchuuriki was nervous. Anko was prone to sudden violence, if her back-handing Kakashi was anything to go by. Shisui and Kakashi's haste in vacating the camp didn't help matters and Naruto didn't want to hang around if his rescuer was on the crazy side. In a fight, he'd trust her in a flash, but in life....There was no way he was going to hang around long enough to find out what her idea of 'fun' was.

"What's up brat? You look like you're bein' stalked."

Naruto gulped. Damn! He knew he should have gotten out of there!

"Hey, hey! I don't bite you know! At least not usually heheh...." Naruto turned a baleful eye to his injured companion.

"Umm. Shouldn't you be sleepin' or something?" Lame, lame, LAME! Now she would know he was scared of her!

The purple-haired Jounin glared at the Uzumaki in front of her.

"What's that supposed to mean huh? I can still beat the crap outta you even with these injuries!" Naruto squawked indignantly at that.

"HEY! I'm not THAT bad!" Turning, he glared at the stump Shisui had been resting against. Stupid cowards! They had to leave him with an injured mental nut-case!

"I know you saved my life. I'm not that stupid." Anko's voice was much softer this time. She hesitated before continuing. "I'm grateful. You're one hell of a fighter kid, I know you're not a Shinobi, but you can sure as hell fight like one."

Naruto rubbed the nape of his neck in embarrassment. It wasn't THAT big a deal. He'd only fought because he'd had to, but it seems that the Mitarashi wasn't entirely unconscious when she had been thrown into the wall. Naruto watched, distracted by his thoughts as the Kunoichi tilted her head to the side.

"You know the Rasengan." What was it with ninja and asking questions that weren't questions?

"Yeah, I learnt it almost a year ago now." Anko's eyes widened considerably.

"I was watching you the whole time. I saw you step in front of me, and I saw you get hit in the face by that right-hook." Naruto winced. She was going to rub it in so much....

"Honestly? I'm surprised at you. Your Taijutsu's not worth anything but you nailed that first guy. What was it? The Hibana?"

Naruto nodded. She hadn't made fun of him so that was a positive in his book.

"Kid, when we get back to Konoha, I'm gonna run you into the ground with Taijutsu, you got that?"

The blond-haired 8 year old's head sprang up, his eyes perfect circles of astonishment. Anko couldn't help but smile inwardly at the sapphire sparkle that flashed in his gaze. It was so similar to the Rasengan in that regard; a fitting technique for his eyes.

"W-WHAT?!"

"You heard me. I'm gonna beat the crap outta you when we get back to Konoha." Naruto's expression grew into a large smile as he finally comprehended what the woman was saying. He was going to get Taijutsu training! The only training he had going for him was the odd skirmishes in the seedier parts of the village. He had been going there regularly in the past year before leaving Konoha, just to get experience in fighting.

"I'm not goin' back to Konoha yet. I wanna see the world a bit more first."

Anko stared blankly at the Jinchuuriki. The last stunt he had pulled almost got all of them killed and he said he wanted to continue?!

"What are you going to do?"

Naruto was quiet for a few seconds, yet the older Shinobi caught the look of sadness and melancholy in the youngster's gaze. Something was obviously stopping him from going back. He was lying, and she knew it.

"I was thinkin' of goin' to Kumo, see? They must have loadsa sights! I heard one time that they've got these HUGE mountains that explode all the time!"

Anko sweat-dropped. Exploding mountains?! This kid was beyond his nut! First he drops the biggest paint-ball known to man, and now he wants to see 'exploding mountains'?!

The Mitarashi shook her head. She wasn't one to judge. Hell, she was the last person to call anyone crazy. Without any prior warning, a totally random thought struck her and caused a predatory grin to spread across her face. It reminded the young blond of a snake plotting the capture of a mouse stuck in a hole on the surface of the forest floor. Should it pull the little thing by its tail, or should it munch the poor mouse whole? Decisions, decisions.

Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.

"Hey kid, I've got an idea. The Raikage's a right punk so how about we do something to him that he won't forget, hmm?"

Naruto glanced sideways nervously. Oh no, this was definitely not good.

"Don't worry, it'll be easy peasy with your skills. All ya gotta do is take a permanent marker and draw something really embarrassing on his face. You know what? I'll get 'Kashi and Shisui to come back you up too! We finished the mission early and if we leave tomorrow, we can get there within 5 days, no problem! We can be in and out in one hour! How about it?"

Naruto pondered this idea. On one hand, his prank-sense was tingling and that meant it was a good idea. On the other, this was a Kage, one of the 5 strongest ninja in the world. If he was caught he was dead. No two ways about it.

"How would I pull it off without being caught?"

Anko's grin intensified.

"You won't."

"WHAT?! This is a Kage we're talkin' about! He'll kill me!"

Anko shifted slightly, propping her elbow on the hard ground and resting her head on her open palm.

"Well, if you go in usin' that technique to lower your Chakra levels to that of a civilian, I'm sure no-one would notice as long as you're invisible."

"But there ain't anyone that can go......oh." As if hit by an epiphany, the blond 8 year old's grin bloomed to match that of his 'co-conspirator'.

"But first, let's get 'Kashi as pay back for wakin' me up this morning. Consider it training for the Raikage." Naruto's grin threatened to stretch his face off. Oh he knew what to do to the one-eyed Jounin. He was going to totally embarrass him in front of everyone!

Naruto and Anko huddled together in the soft glow of their campfire, putting the final touches of their new found plans together.

The world would shudder at this friendship that had been born.

XXXXXXX

Hatake Kakashi was worried. He could sense Naruto, only one person in the world knew the technique he was experiencing, and from his perch on a random tree-limb, he knew the blond Uzumaki was up to something. The one-eyed ninja balanced his copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' in his right hand as he took in his surroundings warily. The part of the forest he was reclining in was literally saturated in Chakra, a technique the ex-ANBU captain had only ever seen the Nine-tail's Jinchuuriki pull off. The thing was, he couldn't see him. He couldn't even smell him and due to the nature of the technique, he couldn't pin-point where the kid was.

For a Shinobi of Kakashi's calibre, it was frustrating. He had killed upward of 30 A to S class missing-nin and never had any of them hidden so completely from his senses.

Evidently his Sensei chose well when sealing the Nine-tails.

As he glanced around one more time, he decided that he didn't want to wake up in the morning with no hair, worse yet, his mask stolen, and so he moved his hand to put the orange book back in his utility pouch attached to his right hip.

With a start, he realised he was holding a solid block of wood. When had that happened? How had the blond swapped his....HIS BOOK!

Kakashi leapt from his vantage point, Chakra blazing around his feet as he pushed off from the tree, shooting back towards the clearing. As the trees thinned out and the camp came into view, Kakashi's heart froze.

Naruto stood above the campfire, his right arm extended.

Icha Icha Paradise clutched in his hand.

"NO! Please no! I'll do anything! I swear! Don't let go of that book Naruto!" Kakashi's silver hair waved wildly as his single eye took in the horrific sight in front of him. Idly, Naruto regarded the orange glow that reflected off the steel plate of Kakashi's hita-ate; the flickering flame dancing along the edges and giving the Jounin an aura of power.

The moment was broken by a hysterical Anko pounding her fist into the dirt.

"Oh that's just rich! Wait till I till 'Nai-chan that Inu got his book stolen by an 8 year old!"

Kakashi glared at the Kunoichi. So it was her fault was it? He should have known that Naruto wouldn't pull something on a Shinobi he didn't know just for the sake of it.

"Really, name something you want, and I'll do it!"

Naruto's smile became devilish.

"Two things. One, you come with me to Kumo and bail me out when I prank the Raikage, and two, you tell me what's with your left eye?" Kakashi's visible eye nearly popped out of its socket in shock.

"Y-YOU...WANT TO PRANK THE RAIKAGE?!?!?!"

Naruto suddenly gave a start. His head whipped around as he stared at Anko.

"What Gaki?"

"Did you say Inu?"

Anko shrugged lazily.

"As in, ANBU Inu?"

Anko nodded.

If Kakashi had been calm, he would have been very worried at the sudden trust that was being displayed by the two most dangerous people in the world. He was surprised, however, when Naruto turned to face him again and walked calmly to stand right in front of him.

"Here." The Silver-haired Jounin stared disbelievingly his right hand that now held his precious novel.

"You saved my life when I was little, didn't you Inu-san?"

Kakashi glanced at the purple-haired Jounin who scowled and looked away, before returning his gaze to the blond who had spoken. This was getting awkward. He couldn't stand the emotion that was tightening in his chest, the look that was being directed at him from the kid so much younger than him. It reminded him of teachers past, friends that he had lost and most of all, his own incapability of responding to them.

"I have a Sharingan as my left eye." Kakashi reached up and pushed his bandanna out of the way, revealing the blood-red iris to the world.

Kakashi wasn't prepared for Naruto's reaction. The blond looked as if he was stricken; his face pale and his eyes shaking in disbelief. Kakashi quickly covered his left eye again. The kid had been involved in the massacre, Jiraiya and Sarutobi having said that he was roughed up by none other than Uchiha Madara. No wonder he reacted like that. He should have known that the kid would be traumatised from that incident; it was a small wonder that he appeared so normal most of the time.

Actually, maybe he wasn't so normal after all.

"You said something about the Raikage." He was answered by two identical grins that caused a shiver to un down his spine.

What had he unleashed when he rescued the blond boy?

"OI! Naruto! I found your tree-branch thingy.....What's going on?"

All three turned as Shisui landed in the camp. Shisui blinked at the silence. Not even any birdsong in the air. And how come Anko and Naruto were smiling like they.....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh no, no no no no. Whatever it is I'm not doing it! Forget it! Yadda! Nada! NO! That's final!"

Anko's grin only widened.

XXXXXXXX

The Raikage complex was in an uproar. There was a massive influx of foreign Chakra that no-one could identify in the network of buildings situated at the very edge of Kumogakure. It was baffling to the Kumo-nin that something was able to get past the guards and enter this far in without it being detected. The Raikage complex was located right at the base of the 'Unraikyo Mountain', the village spreading out around it. It was a veritable fortress and not a single enemy Shinobi had ever made it to the complex without being detected. The main building where the Raikage took up office, was built into a much smaller mountain and clouds could be seen drifting around it at all times of the year. It was as if a whole team of invisible Chuunin had descended on the complex from the sky....

A loud shout of fury rent the air. Samui's elite Jounin team burst into the Raikage's room.

"Omoi, guard the door! Karui, check on the Raikage!" The orders were carried out immediately.

"Raikage-sama, why did you shout?"

The broad shouldered, flat nosed hulk of a man turned to face one of his most senior team of Shinobi. All three recoiled at the sight of their hardened leader's face.

Someone had taken a bright yellow marker and drawn childish pictures all over the veteran's face. Not a single inch of skin was left unmarked, and the artist had even coloured the tips of his moustache and eyebrows. The only thing left untouched by colour, was the Raikage's point of a beard that poked from the tip of his chin. Instead, a pink ribbon had been tied around it, as if to emphasise the picture of a cute girl taken directly from a nursery picture book.

Not a single thing moved.

Omoi coughed.

"Excuse me Raikage....s-sama...I-I need to...err....I need to go to the bathroom." Karui, the black-haired, petite sword-mistress wobbled out of the room. There was an audible crack of wood from outside and Samui, the blonde-haired Jounin, positively knew that she had burst out laughing as soon as she had stepped foot from the room.

"S-Someone find out who did this! I don't care who it was! I'm going to fry them with my Rairyuudan!"

There was an audible click as Omoi replaced his blade in its sheath and spat the stick of his lollypop out of his mouth. Running a tanned hand through his short, spiky white hair, he sighed and made to exit the room.

"I'll get Bee."

XXXXXXXX

Naruto, Anko and Shisui laughed uproariously as they sprang from branch to branch, making their way towards fire country once again. Kakashi was leading the group at a fast pace, not wanting to get caught up in the aftermath of Naruto's latest prank. Sure, it wasn't on the scale of Iwa, but attacking the Raikage directly like that was unheard of. It would be a worldwide legend in a few weeks.

The whole team froze as they caught 5 Chakra signatures surrounding them. How had they hidden all this time?

The 5 Shinobi vibrated into view as they slowed from their high speed movement.

Foremost of the group stood a large brown-skinned man, a strange double-clawed mark tattooed on his left cheekbone. He wore a white wrap of a shirt that went over his left shoulder, exposing his brawny arms and his left shoulder too. A total of seven sword-hilts could be identified strapped to his back, two peaking over his right shoulder, three diagonally secured to his back blades up and another two to the side of his left bicep. Naruto recognised the uncanny resemblance between the face of this man and the man he had just decorated so finely.

Behind him stood four more Shinobi, all bearing the Kumo bandanna. Two blonde women, one black-haired and another white-headed man. One of the blond women and the white-haired man carried swords.

"Halt! Konoha Shinobi! What's with the gaki?"

Kakashi stepped forward.

"Hatake Kakashi, Shinobi ID: 009720, Konoha Jounin. Returning from a routine scouting mission along the Fire/Rice border. We found this Konoha civilian far outside Fire's lands and so are returning him to the village."

There was complete silence for a moment and the younger blonde woman stepped forward. She was a hot-shot Chuunin, Nii Yugito, also known for being the Jinchuuriki of the two-tailed cat, Nibi no Nekomata.

"We're going to have to take you in for questioning. Will you come freely?"

Naruto stared at the five nin. He had no doubt they were all dangerous and the two that had spoken were causing his belly to gurgle. Why? He had no clue, but they seemed to have an adverse affect on his appetite.

Well, there was no way he was hanging around if his stomach was getting damaged!

Quickly, he swung his newly made 'Airboard' from his back. Jumping onto the main seal, he stuck his tongue out at the Cloud ninja before taking off in a random direction.

"Damn it Naruto! Why do you always do this to us?!"

The three Konoha Jounin looked back at the Kumo Shinobi before exchanging glances. They didn't know where Naruto was heading to, but he was a civilian so technically he was allowed to go wherever he wanted. Kakashi just knew that the Sandaime was going to have his head after this mission...

Glancing to make sure that the Kumo-nin were still pre-occupied with attempting to inflate their faces to record-breaking levels at the sight of Konoha's pariah, the three made haste in getting the hell out of dash.

Once Naruto had disappeared on the horizon, Samui glanced at where the 4 foreigners had previously stood.

"Errr, they're gone."

All four of her companions snapped out of their awe as they registered what she had said.

"It seems as though, we have a report to blow."

"Ah shaddap Bee!"

SMACK!

THUNK!

"OW! What the hell was that for?!"

Samui sighed. Karui and Omoi were so childish most of the time.

"Hey we call ourselves Cloud right?"

All four nodded at Omoi's question.

"So how come we can't do that?"

ZZZZZZZZ

Well, that's chapter 14 people! I know it took long, but I've got exams and so this was as much as I could do in all the time I've had! Hope you guys enjoy it though!

PS: 50 REVIEWS GETS AN OMAKE!


	15. Chapter 15

I'm back! Sorry for the wait, my first exam is on Tuesday though, and I thought I'd give you guys something before I take a break for two weeks. It's not nice to leave you hanging for so long, God knows I hate it when my favourite stories suddenly go dead....If you're reading this Legilimyth, THAT MEANS YOU! XP

Anyway, Review Highlights time! I was shocked and very VERY happy to receive a review from none other than the esteemed Peppymint! For those of you that don't know, peppymint is the author of one of the best 'Naruto gets busted and leaves Konoha' fics. Peppymint doesn't write a story, oh no, Peppymint only writes scenes of a story and that style is unique and refreshing to say the least.

I would also like to thank SuperN-Gaspard for informing me of Kakashi's real Shinobi ID number. I made it up originally, but changed it once he told me! Thank you very much!

I would also like to thank an unsigned reviewer named 'Anony-mouse'. I didn't even realise that I was perpetually using numerals instead of worded-numbers. Thanks for pointing that out and I hope I won't make that mistake again!

Apart from them, thank you all for your kind words and reviews! I really am enjoying writing this thus far and I hope to continue to deliver what you guys like and want. All I can ask in return is that you leave a review telling me what it was you liked and disliked, I need input after all!

On that note, Fanfic highlights this time go to Peppymint's 'From the Ashes' and Kraken's Ghost's 'Foxhound'. As stated above, FtA is a highly unique story in that it uses scenes to tell the plot, not proper story progression. It's a very fun read and I highly recommend it!

'Foxhound' is one of the older fics. I absolutely loved it and was sad to know that KG wouldn't be continuing it. It was on the level of 'Two Halves' and I'm sure everyone has heard of DameWren's magnificent work!

Anyway, everyone seemed to like the ending of the last chapter so now we switch back to Konoha to view the aftermath!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Kakashi gulped as he and his team entered Konoha through the large gates at the main entrance. He wasn't looking forward to this at all. Nodding to the two Chuunin on gate duty, he addressed his team.

"Shisui, Anko, we have a report to make. Don't even think about escaping Anko." Said Purple-haired Jounin pouted. Damn! And she was so close too!

Collectively, the three sighed. It had been three days since leaving Lightning Country and the Sandaime had definitely heard about the two incidents by now. There was simply no way that Fire's spies wouldn't have picked up on what had become common knowledge throughout the Shinobi world. The worst thing, however, was that Kakashi didn't have a clue where the blond-haired troublemaker was at the moment. It wasn't of Village importance, certainly, but he just knew that the Sandaime wouldn't be happy with some of his decisions once he had submitted his report.

Sighing again, he lifted his head to stare with his single eye, at the sculpture of his Sensei's head. If only Minato-Sensei was still Hokage, there wouldn't be any of these problems at all! Kumo and Iwa would still be hiding in their respective rabbit holes, too scared of the hunter that would rifle their heads off if they even made a single move. No, Konoha had definitely lost much of the prestige it had built up since its inception. The quality of Shinobi had slowly declined after the Kyuubi attack, and now the Uchiha clan were almost completely obliterated too. They needed more youth like he had been, more youth like Shisui and Itachi. More youth like.....

Like Naruto.

With a start, Kakashi realised just where his spiralling thoughts were leading him. Shaking his head he turned back to regard his team.

Anko froze mid-step just as she was turning the corner. Damn! That was so close! Kakashi had been so caught up in his thoughts that she almost escaped!

"ANKO!"

"Hai, hai."

XXXXXXXXX

"...And so that's how we ended up in Kumo. Needless to say, as soon as we had the opportunity to ditch the Kumo contingent, we escaped and made great haste for the border." Kakashi lifted a single finger to scratch the small amount of nose peeking out of his face mask. That sounded reasonable!

Honestly, to Kakashi, even he knew that the entire tale was absurd. And apparently, so did the Sandaime if Anko's snickering was anything to go by.

"So you're telling me....that you travelled from Iwa to Kumo for the sake of a prank?!"

OK, it was CRAZY actually!

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

When it doubt, use protocol.

Sarutobi sighed. He knew he was too old for this job!

"Do you have any idea where Naruto-kun currently is?" Kakashi almost cringed at the boring gaze that drilled through his very being. This was a reminder for him that the Sandaime was still a military leader. He hated leading his team.

"No Hokage-sama. He did fly off roughly in the direction of Suna, but he could have easily changed course after we lost sight of him." Kakashi glanced to the side, and the sight that greeted him only furthered his suspicions that Anko knew that Naruto was going to ditch them. She was slightly hunched over, her arms clutched in an 'X' over her abdomen and her purple bangs covering her eyes and much of her face. The silver-haired ninja could tell she was laughing by the silent tremors wracking her body. He really REALLY hated having Anko on his team!

"Kakashi, are you telling me, that you allowed a Konoha Civilian, Uzumaki Naruto no less, to go towards Suna without stopping him?! Why did you even AGREE to such madness in the first place?! You are a Jounin team leader! You have years of ANBU service under your belt! Doesn't it seem illogical to follow an 8 year old to wherever he wants to go?!"

Kakashi stared at the floor. He had no answer for that. The reason he had agreed was due to Naruto stealing his 'Icha Icha' book. He didn't understand what had caused him to react like that. Was it out of love for the boy? Impossible, he hardly knew him. Was it out of respect due to his burden? Kakashi didn't think he treated him any different to anyone else he ever met, Maito Gai could attest to that! So was it out a feeling of kinship, that the Jinchuuriki understood what it meant to fight in their world?

Maybe.

But one thing was for sure, he was never going to say that aloud, come hell or high water!

Luckily, Shisui seemed to have the same thoughts.

"Hokage-sama, if I may. Naruto is harmless as he is now. He may get into trouble, but I think he has enough experience to get himself out of it at this point."

Hiruzen placed his gaze firmly on the Uchiha survivor, and Shisui began to squirm under the intense scrutiny.

"Do you have any idea, how Iwa and Kumo are reacting to these events? I'm sure the Tsuchikage will be raging about the death of a Shinobi from his ranks as well as the many that you incapacitated. From Kakashi's report, they know your identities. As for Kumo, we've already had a missive from their council demanding an explanation for why there were Konoha Shinobi bypassing their border and why their Raikage's face looks akin to one of Suna's Kabuki actors on a bad hair day!"

Anko didn't hide it this time, her gut was bursting and she needed to vent.

Shisui chuckled at the memory as the purple-haired Mitarashi dropped to all fours and began beating her fists on the floor. Kakashi refused to look his village leader in the eye. Just how were they meant to respond to that?

"Aha, AHAHA...Ah.....H-Hokage-sama. N-Naruto's n-not here at t-the moment, so there's no point in discussing this with us."

Sarutobi sighed for what must have been the thousandth time that day. There was nothing he could do. Politically, it was Kakashi's job to save Naruto in that situation and following wasn't too bad as they had finished their mission earlier than had been expected. He couldn't punish his Shinobi for doing something like that in the time they had been allotted. They had accomplished their mission and so they weren't really at fault here.

"It seems I will just have to inform the Raikage of the same response you gave to his Jounin. I just hope there won't be a war due to your actions."

All three Jounin stood to attention at the Sandaime's words. It seemed that their debriefing was coming to an end.

"You're dismissed."

The three turned to leave.

"Oh, and Kakashi? Why in the world is the back of your hair dyed pink?!"

The room went deathly silent.

Kakashi blanched as the other occupants turned to stare at his head. He bolted full-speed, for the safety of his apartment and the presence of a bottle of shampoo.

That night, Uchiha Sasuke had a very hard time sleeping. Every time he tried to get some sleep, a fresh wave of loud laughter would wash over him.

Whose idea was it to place the upper ninja recreational area next to the Uchiha District?!

ZZZZZZZZ

Short, I know, but I needed to get this out of the way. There would definitely be political implications from their actions and I tried to outline them here. I don't think I did a very good job of it as I'm bogged down with revision at the moment! I won't leave you hanging, that much I can promise!

Jutsu notes:

Last chapter I introduced the 'Raiton: Rairyuudan'. This is a made up technique that I felt the Raikage would know. It's a lightning dragon and one of the most powerful elemental techniques in existence.

Other than that, a Kabuki actor is a puppeteer. Just think of Kankurou's face-paint times 100. XP

PS: REVIEW PLEASE!


	16. Chapter 16

HELLO! I'm back for a new chapter of K:NP and what a show we have for you tonight! Before that though, a quick advert for one of my favourite fics ever. KyLewin, the much esteemed author of 'Time and Again' has released the first chapter of the sequel 'Here and Now'! And let me tell you, it starts off as good as it ended! So go read it, I've added it to my favourites list so you can grab the link from there.

Review highlights go to Alternative Angel and Eovin. They correctly guessed where I was heading and the general outline of some of my later chapters, but don't go back and check the reviews if you don't want it ruined! Congratulations to you two!

This time's Fanfic highlight goes to 'The Best Laid Plans' by arun2110. In short, his story is swift and brutal. For an accurate portrayal of 'ANBU Kakashi' he wins a gold award. Do read and enjoy it, and if possible leave a review!

Anyway, enough of that. Let's move on to the real juice. Get ready for a sandy ride and please leave a review at the end!

ZZZZZZZ

Naruto stared at the surroundings with a deadpan expression.

Sand, sand and more sand.

Seriously, how monotonous was Suna?! Wasn't it meant to be THE place for kick-ass wind Jutsu? He had thought that by coming here he could compare himself to some of the real wind-users, but instead, all he could see was an endless abyss of yellow.

And that was boring.

Naruto flicked his foot downwards, propelling his Airboard into the air before jumping smoothly onto the central seal. If he couldn't spot anything on the ground, he'd just have to go airborne. The only problem was, much of his Chakra had been used in getting to Suna and so his reserves were a bit low. He didn't know when he'd run dry, but it couldn't be good to have your Chakra pool empty.

Soaring quickly upwards, the Konoha Jinchuuriki took his time to survey the environment. Golden sand-dunes stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction, the late morning glow of the sun glittering off the sand and creating a vast and dreamy experience. It was like being in a Jewellery shop, except the gold was everywhere.

Naruto spied a canyon with two parallel walls that ran either side. The canyon was built out of red rock, a strong and highly compacted stone that was extremely hard to penetrate. There wasn't any sign of life to be found, only the stretching mass of sand to the horizon.

If he had known it was going to be this boring, he probably would have stayed with Kakashi and the others and gone back to Konoha. That thought made him chuckle.

'Poor Kakashi. I wonder if he noticed that I covered his sleeping-bag's headrest in pink paint?'

XXXXXXXX

Hatake Kakashi, ex-elite ANBU captain strode through his apartment, checking and double checking every piece of equipment he had taken with him on his last mission. It had taken 4 shampoo washes just to get the dratted pink paint out of his hair and it had totally ruined his style! When he next saw that blond brat, he was definitely going to get some payback!

Finding nothing amiss, the Jounin turned to his sleeping bag which incidentally, he had forgotten to examine. His room was dark and he was tired and so he wanted to get some shut-eye just in case he was called in for another mission on the morrow. He just hoped Anko wasn't anywhere near him for the next week or so! He had practically been driven crazy by a certain green spandex-clad Jounin who couldn't stop going on about 'un-youthful books' and 'artists in the springtime of their youth'. It was becoming infuriating, not to mention that Gai's words were hinting that the Uzumaki was the 'youthful' one and he was the 'un-youthful' one.

Poor Kakashi lay down on his sleeping bag and rolled over over, dismissing the dampness that met his cheek.

'Must be from sleeping outdoors'.

How very wrong he was.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto dodged swiftly to the side. A Suna patrol had come out of the canyon he had spied earlier and made a beeline towards his position. It seems that whoever lived beyond that canyon had some kind of surveillance network and had detected him in the air.

A wind Jutsu tore through the air towards him, and he was so surprised that he had finally gotten a glimpse of an elemental Jutsu that he almost forgot to dodge. At the last moment, he cut all backward momentum whilst increasing the front and underboard seals incrementally. What occurred could only be described as a 'backward flip', and the slicing wind passed over his feet as he spun upside down.

After his 360 degree stunt was complete, he stared wide-eyed at his attackers. Just what kind of Jutsu was that?! Jiraiya certainly hadn't done anything on that level!

Fortunately for the Konoha pariah, his attackers were regarding him with the same awe-struck expression that their opponent had. This guy was FLYING on what looked like....a branch from a tree. Not only that, but he had just dodged a B-Rank Kamaitachi from none other than Baki himself! The manner in which he did was dubbed as 'cool' by the youngest of the three man squad, yet the oldest was incensed.

He was so angry that every time he exhaled, the white face-wrap hiding the right side of his face, fluttered in the air. His two teammates began to edge away from the fuming Jounin, scared that his ire would soon be directed at them for some reason or another.

Naruto, however, had a very different problem. The Jutsu being thrown his way weren't difficult to dodge from his vantage point. He was in the air and they were trying to fight him with the air?! The idea was laughable at best! A scribed seal was far more effective and controllable than a hand-seal after all, and he had more than ten!

No, his main problem was that he could FEEL the last of his Chakra siphoning off his Chakra pool. He had maybe ten seconds tops before his seal-array stopped working as he would have insufficient Chakra to power them. Thankfully he had built a fail-safe into the array to cause it to stop working before his Chakra ran out completely, so at least he wouldn't collapse as well.

But as always with the blond prank-master, plans never go as he wants them to.

And so as he found himself descending to the deluge of yellow granules, a certain livid Suna Jounin jumped forward at this sudden opportunity, a blade of pure wind springing up from his clenched fist. Naruto belatedly thought that he had to learn that Jutsu before sighing and pushing the last of his Chakra fully into his Airboard. At least he wouldn't be decapitated, that was NOT the way he wanted to leave this miserable world.

The Airboard shuddered slightly at the intense force it was being subjected to; Gravity pulling mercilessly downwards and a small amount of wind Chakra attempting to overcome it. The board sprang upwards about 10 feet before coming to a rest for a moment.

In that brief moment of respite, Naruto realised that there was no way he could keep it up any longer and so with a resigning sigh, attempted to push every last drop of power in his body into his board.

It was an incredibly foolish thing to do, although, in the 8 year old's defense, he knew next to nothing about Chakra exhaustion. No-one had ever told him that at best you would be incapacitated for days on end and at worst, you'd die.

Fortunately, there was one being that didn't want to die.

And it decided to make its presence known in the Shinobi World once again.

XXXXXXX

A single, blood-red iris was revealed as a lethargic eye-lid was opened. A small growl of contempt was heard.

The eye itself began to glow.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto was dumb-founded and by the looks on the faces of his three attackers, they were floored too.

Somehow, incredibly, he was still floating in the air! It seemed he had a bit more Chakra than he thought he did.

And then he felt it.

The molten lava, the _**fire**_ that ripped through his insides, filling him with pain and euphoria alike. He suddenly felt energised, more so than he had ever felt before. In his light-headedness, he failed to notice his vision become much sharper. He failed to notice the fangs that pierced his lower lip on both sides of his jaw and he failed to notice his Chakra turn a deep red colour.

To the Jounin below him, the sight was jaw-droppingly beautiful. Baki's wind-blade died in his hand as he witnessed a sight very similar to one an Iwa or Kumo-nin would relate from back in the last Shinobi War.

Alighting on the clouds, a stream of shifting and glimmering ruby extending from the rear of the wooden contraption, stood a boy unlike any they had seen before. His unruly, mid-length golden hair swayed in the wind, a halo of pearlescent sunlight mixing with the crimson aura of power billowing out around his form.

But it was the eyes that really held their attention. Blood-red eyes, slit down the middle, a mix of incredible blood-lust and depth, a ratio of which any ANBU could tell you was impossible. Soft eyes and murderous eyes simply couldn't mix.

And yet, as the blond raised his hands and made some handseals, his form disappearing from view, the Jounin couldn't rid their minds of the majestic image. There was no other way to describe it. The stream of Ruby-red Chakra that trailed from the end of the board reflected of the sand sending a fusion of yellows, reds and purples racing along the surface of the desert, illuminating the ground underneath it with an ethereal glow, a sight of which had no equal anywhere in the world.

The team of Jounin would later be found staring up at the sky, one with his hand still raised, with a vacant look etched on their faces and their eyes completely out of focus as if reliving a memory of bygone days.

Meanwhile, a rejuvenated blond juvenile, was making good time over a certain red-canyon...

XXXXXXX

Sabaku no Gaara was a very disturbed child. At birth, he had a demon sealed within him. By the time he could walk, he was being trained non-stop in how to kill people in the most brutally efficient manner available to man. Not only that, but he also had an alien control over sand that nobody around him seemed to share.

Many people thought Gaara was an unfeeling, monster of a child. But they really didn't know him. He was a human like anyone else, he could feel the same pains and joy that any other person or ninja could feel and he was in no way emotionless; he just hid himself far better than others did.

Wasn't it their idea that Shinobi shouldn't have emotions?

That's what he had been taught at a young age at any rate.

And then the assassination attempts had began.

It wasn't too bad at first. Gaara's unnatural control over the abundant yellow granules far outperformed anything the local ninja populace could attack with. Every time someone tried to kill him, the desert rose up in fury and squished them.

Literally.

But Gaara hadn't been prepared for his uncle to try to kill him. His uncle Yashamaru, under orders of Gaara's father, the Yondaime Kazekage, attempted to kill Gaara because he was a 'failed experiment'.

"_I never really loved you...."_

Gaara gripped the sides of his head, as the words of his uncle stabbed like hot irons throughout his psyche.

"_...What are more serious are emotional scars. They are the hardest to heal...."_

His right hand reached down and gripped the fabric of his brown shirt over where his heart should be.

"_...Physical and emotional scars are a bit different. Unlike physical ones, there are no ointments for emotional ones, and the pain may never go away..."_

He was scarred for life. Nothing would heal him. His brow furrowed as a small amount of sand began to whip around his figure.

"_...There's only one thing that could stop such heartache, however as inconvenient as it may seem, this cure can only be given by people other than yourself..."_

The sand revolving around his feet began to move faster, the yellow granules moving faster and faster until his form began to become obscured from anything around him.

"_...It is love. Love is care and devotion that you feel for the precious ones around you..."_

"Hey, HEY! What'cha doin'?"

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts, the sand freezing in mid-air before falling to the ground. His eyes were wide in an expression of shock, taking in the only person who had spoken to him for so long.

It was a boy, around his age, a mess of the brightest blond hair he had ever seen. It was so bright that it rivalled the sun for lighting up the world around it. The next feature that caught his eye was the boy's Delphinium irises. The deep, ocean blue orbs spoke of many experiences but there was a small sparkle of vitality that Gaara couldn't identify. The blond also had three pairs of 'whisker' marks stretching on either side of his face, causing his grin to look rather mischievous.

The smile reminded him of a picture of a fox he had once seen in a nursery book when he was rather young.

To Naruto, the pitiful form of the red-haired boy in front of him was almost scary; the look in his eyes reminded him of the pain he used to feel in his younger days.

"So he sent you to kill me today."

The scratchy monotone of the boy's voice sent a shiver down Naruto's spine. This guy was off his rocker! And his eyes were dead! But there wasn't anyone else around so he was the only one to approach.

"EEH?! I'm not gonna kill ya!"

The redhead stared silently at the stranger. He wasn't here to....kill him? Then what was he here for?

"Name's Naruto, what's yours?" Gaara's dull eyes followed the outstretched arm. What was that for?

It was silent for a moment. A small thimble rolled across the street as a slight breeze blew.

"Umm, you're meant to shake it, see? Handshake ya know?"

Gaara tentatively raised his right hand and grasped the other's pale appendage lightly. The next moment he felt his teeth rattle as his entire arm was enthusiastically whipped up and down.

"So what's your name?" The Uzumaki almost regretted asking the question as the redhead turned his soulless gaze on him once again.

"Sabaku no Gaara."

"Sabaku, as in desert Sabaku, right?" Gaara simply stared.

"Hey you need to lighten up! You're not gonna make many friends like that Gaara! Smile a bit; maybe play some pranks on some people. Learn to laugh and all that ya know?"

Gaara's head tilted to the side slightly as if he was pondering a great question.

"Play a....prank? How does one....prank?"

Naruto was stumped. What was wrong with this guy? First he looks like he's in the middle of a hurricane, then he has eyes that seem to have been taken from a dead body and now he doesn't know what a prank is?!

He would just have to teach him.

A few kilometres away in the Kazekage's office, a certain powerful leader began trembling for no reason.

"Oh, OH! That's easy, see! All ya gotta do is something funny to someone! Ya know? Just like, paint their faces (Kakashi and the Raikage sneezed), let off a massive paint-bomb (The whole of Iwa sneezed so hard a mountain fell down.), that sorta thing!"

"Something....funny?"

Now he was repeating everything Naruto was saying. Seriously, this guy was REALLY boring.

"Yeah, yeah! See that guy there? Do something funny to him! OH! Oh, I know! You can do that cool thing with the sand right? Put some sand down his pants or something!"

Gaara slowly raised his arm and pointed it at the Chuunin that was hurrying past. The rest of the street was deserted and as soon as the ninja saw Gaara with his hand pointed towards him and an intense look of concentration covering his face, he bolted down the road, his facade a mask of terror.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at how the Chuunin had acted towards seeing Gaara. If Gaara wasn't there he would've thought that the guy was scared of him, but then he shook himself. He wasn't from here so there was no way anyone could know about the Kyuubi being within him. No, they were scared of Gaara for some reason.

Sand burst forth from the ground, racing towards the fleeing Chuunin, before wrapping around the hapless Shinobi.

"Yeah! You got him! Nice one Gaara! Now just put some sand in his pants!"

Squish.

Naruto's eyes bugged out of his head as Gaara squashed the unlucky ninja. He was no doubt dead, if the blood and guts colouring the sand were any indication.

"Hey, what the hell did you do that for?!"

Gaara's dull green eyes turned back to his companion once again.

"I put some sand in him." The statement was said so casually, devoid of any emotion, that Naruto would have found it hilarious if the man hadn't just lost his life.

"You can't just KILL people like that! People are like you! We're all people; you can't just kill people for the fun of it!"

Gaara continued to stare, nary a peep from his mouth.

Naruto didn't know why he cared so much. He had seen the way that Chuunin had treated the redhead and it reminded him of his own experiences. Would he have killed at the time if he had had the power to do so? Would he have taken a life for no reason, simply because they had made him angry? These were questions he couldn't answer, but there was one thing he knew for sure.

He couldn't let this guy....his friend, turn into some maniac.

"Look, forget it. I'll show you how to prank ok? Then we can do something together."

Gaara nodded slowly. It was....nice to be able to talk to someone like this. He didn't know how long it would last, but hopefully, this Naruto wouldn't turn out to be someone hired by his father after all.

The pain in his chest began to ease slightly as the two kids walked off together.

The Kazekage would be highly annoyed at the fact that Gaara had murdered another one of his ninja when he woke up the following morning.

He also wouldn't know why his pants were itching so badly.

It was almost as if someone had put sand in them....

ZZZZZZZZ

AAAAAAND CUT!

Thank you very much for reading, I hope you like this chapter!

As I said, please leave a review, as I really want to know everyone's opinion on how accurately I depicted Gaara. Also was Naruto's reaction realistic? Remember, he is a bit jaded from experiencing death at such a young age, so I didn't think he would make such a big deal out of it.

If we manage to hit 300 reviews before I update next....I'll have another chapter out ASAP!

PS: REVIEW!


	17. Chapter 17

Whew, this is going to be a very long author's note....better get to it eh?

Alright, first off a big thank you to TheDon1023, BrokenBloodDrops, RasalynnLynx, vanchagreen, ZaBuchar, Eovin and SunnyHinata. You guys are all awesome and I totally don't know what I'd do without you! I asked for opinions and you gave me so much more. I hope I never disappoint you guys and for some reason a few of you have a suspicious ability to see into my mind...SO THANK YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOR ALL THE ADVICE AND TIME YOU GAVE ME!

About Chapter 16, initially I received mixed responses from the reviews. Some people said that Naruto and Gaara were realistic given the circumstances, but others said that Naruto should have reacted a bit more emotionally to Gaara killing a Suna Chuunin. All I can say is that I've been trying to build up Naruto's character so that he is desensitised to this kind of stuff, he still cares but not nearly enough to make a big thing out of it. I promised to re-write that scene if the majority of people said it was unrealistic, but I had resoundingly positive comments, so I guess it stays! (YAY! Less work for me...Hey, aren't I the one writing this thing....Oh yeah.)

Review Highlights go to Edengrave and Hiei-Uchiha. Edengrave spotted something very subtle and I don't even know if he/she noticed what it was that was pointed out. I'm not about to tell you, but there's a lot more depth to this story than many can see on the surface. At least I hope it is? Many people have commented, saying that I tend to be TOO subtle and then there wouldn't be any real point in being subtle would there? XP

Hiei-Uchiha....what can I say? You put a smile on my face when I read your review! I don't value my own prowess as an author that highly. I mean 56k words and just under 300 reviews? I don't want to sound arrogant or anything, but it saddens me that my writing is not good enough for a lot of people to comment on. Your review, however, was insightful and well thought out.

Fanfic Highlight goes to Taliath's 'Across Dimensions: Parting Reality's Veil'. It is a particularly unique story that I don't think anyone has quite gone down the same path. I love it to bits; the description is strong, the action scenes are nail-bitingly fast and the premise grips you like a vice. Give it a go, seriously!

And with that exhaustingly long author's note out of the way, we move on to chapter 17!

ZZZZZZZZ

TenTen slipped smoothly into her chair at the Higurashi residence. She had been living there long enough now for it to be a comfortable procedure, eating and drinking and living with Naoto was like an everyday thing for her since Naruto had left.

Naruto...his name left a sour taste in her mouth, just from thinking of him.

Two years....two years and she had not seen hide nor hair of him apart from once, when he came to the Weapon store to purchase some rubber; no doubt for another crazy stunt of his. TenTen couldn't even understand her own feelings. She knew she felt betrayed that Naruto couldn't share anything with her, and yet...

And yet, no matter how much she tried to deny it, he was always there for her, his shining smile and glowing blue eyes at every corner of her metaphorical thoughts.

'No! It was his fault! I'm not going back there again!'

"...saying you should eat your food. TenTen?"

"Huh?" Naoto sighed.

"TenTen, I was saying you should eat your food before it gets cold, how long are you going to leave it there for?"

TenTen stirred her Miso soup absently, her mind remaining in the cascade of thoughts she so often tried to escape. Life with Naoto wasn't bad, it was pleasant and calm, each day blending with the next to make a seamless weaving pattern of training and school. TenTen had come far in her studies both at the Academy and in her apprenticeship under the middle-aged weapons-master. She was becoming very proficient in weapons use, scoring bulls-eyes with almost any weapon that could be named in Konoha, yet there was something missing.

And for the life of her, she didn't know what it was.

She looked up as the elder Higurashi sighed again.

"Look TenTen, I know what's wrong and there's no point in beating yourself up about it. Naruto's not even in the village at the moment."

TenTen's eyes widened.

"He's not?! " the brown-haired store owner raised a rough eyebrow.

"He's been gone for about a year now. Didn't you know that?"

A year. TenTen breathed out slowly. He'd been gone for a year and she didn't even know it. Wait...it wasn't as if she even cared. Why should she, he wasn't even ready to accept her as a friend even after all that they had been through.

Unbidden, a memory from their time together rose to the forefront of her mind.

"_So you've been betrayed before and you still can't trust me? When have I betrayed you? I heard about the Kyuubi or whatever it is you know!"_

"_I can't trust you, not with this."_

Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes. Even now those words still stung her to the very core of her being. She was a 10 year old, and yet she had witnessed some of the harshest experiences that life could offer; growing up in an orphanage where everyone around you was an opponent, where you had to work for your food clinging to your sanity in ways only a child could. Even as a child, she _**knew**_ this instinctively, she couldn't put it into words, but the pain in her chest was enough to convince her that something was very wrong.

"Thanks for the food, Naoto-san." The weapons-smith could only look on in sympathy and worry as the young girl stumbled out of her chair, a mere whisper of the grace she had displayed just a few minutes prior.

He was a good judge of character; he had been serving the Shinobi population for years first as a ninja himself, and now as a provider of arms. He could tell that whatever it was that was bothering his 'guest' was not something Naruto had done; rather it was something far deeper and lingering than that. He could only watch from the sidelines and hope that whatever it was that was affecting his apprentice would eventually take its leave.

As the young brown-haired girl made her way out of the room, Naoto caught a small sob which echoed like a gong to his senses.

He hoped Naruto would come back soon.

For all their sakes.

XXXXXXXXX

Droplets of water hit his face as the wind surged, blowing huge waves of the clear liquid high into the air, dull greys of water-spray decorating the two enormous statues that stood parallel to each other; a roaring waterfall cascading down among the rocks scattered like clouds in the sky.

It was a historical place, that Naruto could deduce without being told. He didn't quite know what the statues were for, but one looked vaguely like the first head on the Hokage Monument. What would the Shodai Hokage be doing over here?

As Naruto gazed balefully at the endless torrent of water around him, he attempted to remember some of the brighter memories of his recent escapades to lighten his dreary mood. His escape from Suna was a sad one. Gaara hadn't wanted to let him go, his friendship growing stronger every minute he stayed in the blonde's company. Naruto knew that Gaara was warming up to him; his fellow prank-master was carrying Naruto's legacy to his own part of the world, given he had a slightly vicious mindset when it came to pulling things on people. Yet Naruto was proud to say that Gaara was his friend.

At that thought, the Konoha Jinchuuriki completely forgot the day's weather-woes. Oh he had left something terrible in Suna. They would feel the wrath of a lonely boy's devious mind now that he had a correct outlet for it. One glaring incident came to mind, and Naruto couldn't help the guffaw that tore from his wet lips as he wallowed in nostalgia.

"_Is that.....a wall?!" Naruto stared incredulously at his red-haired friend. Where was he going with this?_

"_A wall of sand." Even though Gaara was pulling a prank all on his own this time, he still spoke in a monotonous voice. It was slightly lighter than how it was when Naruto had first spoken to the Suna boy, but he still needed to show some emotion. It was like staring at a dead fish at times..._

"_Yeah, I can see that. What are you going to do with a wall?"_

_Gaara stared at the blond. They remained staring at each other for a few minutes._

"_Now what?!"_

_Gaara turned to stare through the crack in the Kazekage's lounge door._

"_Watch."_

_Naruto almost gave up right there and then. It was one thing pulling a prank, but it wasn't fun if the one doing it was as dull as a doornail._

'_Dead as a doornail too...' Naruto snickered slightly at that thought, only to shiver and wave his hand as his companion turned his soulless stare on him once again._

_The two kids stayed silent, watching and waiting for another ten or so minutes. Gaara started slightly as if the thing he had been waiting for had just happened._

_Almost immediately, the walls sectioning the five offices attached to each other simply disappeared. The Shinobi sat at their desks frozen; one had a pen halfway through scrawling a word, no doubt working on another mundane administration job that most ninja seemed to get caught up with every now and then._

_Seriously, what were ninja for? State protection or library work?!_

_As Naruto stared from his vantage point he felt Gaara's sand begin to vibrate. Over the past few weeks Naruto had come to realise that when the Suna boy's sand did that, it was the only sign that he was laughing. Trust Gaara to be the only person to laugh by not laughing._

_Dead as a doornail indeed._

_Turning, the blond-haired Jinchuuriki tried to locate the source of his friend's humour._

_He froze._

_He stared._

_Scratch that, Gaara was a genius of untold prank-proportions._

_The Kazekage was sitting slouched in his cushion-backed chair, the index finger of his right hand stuck up his nose and his left scratching a....shameful patch of skin in his nether regions._

_Naruto laughed._

_Of course the two had to hightail it out after that. Yet the fearsome leader of Sunagakure no Sato's image would be tarnished forever when his secretary would display a photo of the incident to her friend._

_THAT was priceless. Naruto was so proud!_

Cackling in glee, Naruto sprang forward from his perch, blue Chakra pervading from the soles of his feet. He landed neatly on the opposite statue's fingertip that was raised in the 'Ram seal' position. Naruto was curious about these statues. Maybe he'd ask someone later.

For now, he had a mission to perform. He had overheard a Suna Chuunin talking about a certain 'snake-like Orochimaru'. Naruto wanted to know what all the fuss was about and when he had heard the words 'Jutsu master' and 'traitor' in the same sentence, he had rushed to his next location, pilfering a few Elemental Ninjutsu scrolls along the way. Gaara's sand was SO useful!

His next destination was Rice Country.

As he sprang from his position, heading north, he disregarded the team of Konoha Chuunin running through the trees along the opposite bank of the waterfall.

They however, didn't disregard him.

Nor did they disregard the direction he was travelling in.

ZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Yes, I know, another short chapter, but on the plus side my exams are going well and the majority will be over with by Wednesday next week, so expect more then!

Having said that, because we almost reached 300 reviews, and you guys have been so helpful....

OMAKE!

ZZZZZZZZ

In every generation of Konoha's youth, there was always a prankster. Even from the very beginning of Konoha's inception, anyone who lived there could attest to the fact that there was always someone around to destroy the nice, calm atmosphere that the villagers were trying to build.

Or brighten in some people's perspective.

One such prank-master was Senju Tobirama, who would later become known around the Shinobi world as a matchless Suiton-Jutsu wielder and then as the Nidaime Hokage of Fire Country.

However, he wasn't a serious man, far from it. And his greatest hobby to the ire of his brother was annoying the hell out of the First Hokage, his sibling Senju Hashirama.

"Just this once!"

"NO!"

"But whyyyyyyyyy?"

"Just no."

"Oh come on! What could happen?"

"Tobi, the last time I let you in that lab, your test subject....and might I add that she was MY secretary!"

"What happened to her?"

......

"See, you can't say anything!"

The First Hokage tried his best to knock himself unconscious with the surface of his desk. It didn't matter if it broke, he'd just make a new one.

"Tobi....Sara was left in hospital LOOKING LIKE A WATERMELON FOR A WEEK!"

The white-haired man chuckled good-naturedly.

"She was due a medical check-up anyway! It's always good to make sure that your Staff are in good health, right Nii-san?"

The Hokage groaned quietly. Who knew that making a village could be such a hassle? All he wanted was to join all the clans together and build a trusting and friendly society for the families that had only known war for so long.

"Look Tobi. You're not to set foot in that laboratory again, do you hear?! I'm your leader and you will listen to me!"

Somehow, Hashirama knew that he would regret those words. The sardonic grin that grew on the face of his younger brother was enough to convince him that he should never have pulled the 'superiority game' on Tobi. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he watched warily as Tobi made his way to the door.

"Yes, Ho-Ka-Ge-_**Sa-Ma**_..."

Oh, that was definitely not going to end well.

And so it was with little surprise that the first Hokage found half his Shinobi force laid out in the hospital, looking for all the world like a bunch of children staring at an animal they had never seen before. They were totally out of it, experiencing dreams that only they could see.

Senju Hashirama would come to fear Tobi's deadly 'Hydration pills'.

It would irreparably damage the Nara clan for many generations of Konoha's history.

ZZZZZZZZ

Hope you guys liked that one! Anyway....

REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK PLEASE!


	18. Chapter 18

Yo everyone! Well, most of my exams are over and I did promise to update by Wednesday, so here I am! I particularly enjoyed writing this chapter although it felt a bit disjointed to me, maybe because I left such a gap between my last chapter!

I noticed that not a single person responded to my TSS challenge on my profile page. I'm going to leave it up just in case anyone decides to take it, but I'll be posting my own one soon! I really wanted to see how accurately I conveyed the image of that stunt to you guys!

Review Highlights go to The False One-Winged Angel, S. S. Shadow, Yue-hime and Serenity Reigns. Serenity was my 300th reviewer! How cool is that?! You will forever hold a place in this story *chortle*.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I really do enjoy reading each and every comment I get and I hope that the number only increases as I continue!

Fanfic Highlight goes to 'Two Halves' by DameWren. Whilst Wren is no longer writing her series, another author has taken up the mantle for the fic. His name is J R Ledoux, and he has posted 9 chapters of 'Twice Shy' so far. If some people don't know about DameWren's original work, I can only question what you're doing in the Naruto FanFiction section! Go read it immediately!

And with that, Chapter 18! Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

ZZZZZZZZ

Naruto sprang deftly from tree-branch to tree-branch. Rice Country was a very beautiful place; even as a 9 year old he could tell that the lush greenery and knee high grass were not to be found anywhere else. He loved dozing as the sun rose, casting its golden light over the world, flowers and trees that had lain silent and obscured in shadow, lighting up in the glow of a new day, gleaming and dripping with morning dew. It was a sight to behold, one that he had become enamoured with lately and he didn't hold any urge to leave Rice Country anytime soon.

He had been searching for this 'Orochimaru' in the few weeks since his arrival without any success. The Shinobi's name was taboo in the neighbouring villages and towns and the man himself was as elusive as a snake in winter. As he searched in the daytime, he occupied the hours of his fruitless endeavour by attempting to learn the wind Jutsu that he and Gaara had pilfered from the Jutsu library of Suna. Sadly, he was making little to no headway with them; for some reason he just couldn't pull off the Kaze no Yaiba, and in his frustration, he had tossed the scroll into a stream at the edge of a grassy plain that Rice was famous for.

Giving up on learning the wind Jutsu, he decided that to find this 'Orochimaru', he would have to get his attention in some way. And so in true typical Naruto fashion, he decided his latest large-scale prank was in order.

But what to do?

After wracking his brains for ideas, he had come up with a few pranks: He could let off another paint-bomb like he did in Iwa, but then again he wanted to keep his stunts fresh. His second idea was to let off a massive stink-bomb; something that would pervade the air for a few days was bound to catch the attention of the legendary Shinobi. He ended up throwing that idea out of the window too. For some reason, he was really into bombs these days...

So when he had caught wind of a 'Hidden Sound' Village, he took it upon himself to find out where this secret place actually was. But that led him to another dead-end and a wasted two weeks of searching for something that he had no clue as to its position.

Balancing on another branch, he crouched down like a tiger, inspecting his surroundings like a hawk searching for prey. If the village was indeed a ninja village, it would make sense that they would leave some tracks right?

CRACK!

Naruto's head whipped around as he turned to locate the snap that had assaulted his hearing. Someone was around, that was either a twig or something close to it, maybe he could ask for directions?

For a whole minute, the blond remained on his haunches, his entire body and upper faculties stretched to their limit. Why were they hiding?

And in that moment, he almost missed the subtle shift of Chakra to his right, the signal that a technique was being used.

Throwing himself forwards, the Konoha Jinchuuriki rolled before springing to his feet, a ball of fire already blossoming from his gaping mouth. The trees around him lit up in the fiery glow as the Goukakyu roared past, burning the grass and igniting the foliage wherever it touched. Naruto wasn't stupid enough to believe that his attacker had been caught by that; God knows he had made too many assumptions in fights before.

He would not make that same mistake again.

As the seconds ticked by in silence, the Kyuubi-host analysed the situation as quickly as he could. His opponent was skilled. That wind Jutsu that he had dodged had an incredibly small amount of Chakra augmenting it and yet, the destruction it wrought was nothing short of amazing. A clean slice had been knifed through the earth with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel. But that wasn't the only thing that startled the blond.

This Shinobi was good enough to get a drop on him. He was totally unaware of the attack until he had felt the release of Chakra associated with the wind Jutsu that had been used. Not only that, but even now, he couldn't detect the person at all.

In his adrenaline-enhanced state, the blond made another mistake that would come back to haunt him. But also, it would be the cause for an extraordinary growth. Naruto scanned the vicinity, his head turning in every direction, causing his hair to whirl around his head like a propeller. He didn't think to check the ground or the sky, and that was what made him vulnerable. Even with his senses stretched as far as out as possible, there were techniques that could be used outside of his senses, simple, yet deadly techniques.

Something cold and painfully strong took hold of the Jinchuuriki's ankles, a vice-like grip, threatening to pull him down to a dark and foreboding death.

But Naruto wasn't quite the green-horn he had once been. He recognised this technique; he had used it enough times himself. Channelling an enormous amount of Chakra to his feet, he smoothly slid one of his Wakizashi strapped to his back out of its sheathe, a torrent of wind revolving around the deadly steel of the blade, the sapphire eye of the dragon glinting dangerously in the sunlight.

Swinging downwards, Naruto pushed a large chunk of Chakra from the Tenketsu in his heels. The grip on his ankles immediately slackened, the hands disappearing before he could even catch a glimpse of the ghost-like appendages. As he flew towards the bark of a tree, Naruto had no time to comprehend his situation.

Something slammed into his arm, a loud crack resounding through the trees as the bone gave way. Naruto gasped at the pain, but there was no time to defend himself from the sudden onslaught that pummelled every inch of his body.

In a couple of seconds, he registered a myriad of blows striking his body, his momentum totally redirected. As he fell to the grassy floor, his blade held in his one whole arm, he spun, the metal edge flashing in the sunlight as it sliced into his attacker. His Wakizashi stopped on its path, having been caught in the same object it had attempted to cut, and in that moment as Naruto landed harshly on the ground, he caught sight of his attacker for the first time.

His TWO attackers.

They were identical; the same porcelain white skin, as if it had been bleached so thoroughly that even the whitish hue was dulled. The cheekbones of his opponent were high and sharp accentuating the serpentine, sickly-yellow orbs that stared cruelly at the young pre-teen. He could sense the malevolence in the Shinobi, long, black hair cascading over his shoulders, a purple fang of an ear-ring dangling from his right ear and a malicious smirk stretching the purple shadow of his upper eye-lids.

So this was Orochimaru, just typical that he would find Naruto before Naruto had a chance to find him.

"What, young Uzumaki, are you doing searching for me in my domain?"

Naruto's gut wrenched at the slithering drawl that escaped the ninja's mouth. If he needed any proof for why this man was called the 'Snake of the Sannin' then he need not look any further.

"H-How do you know my name?"

The man cocked his head to the side, the picture of a Cobra considering its latest meal.

"I was once a Konoha ninja. Every Shinobi in that cursed place knows who and what you are." The second body of the legendary Shinobi melted into mud, Naruto's Wakizashi slipped through the earth as it reached the ground hilt first. Naruto breathed out shakily.

It was a clone.

Clucking at the blond's lack of response, Orochimaru stepped forward lightly, his grace and elegance reminding the Jinchuuriki oddly of Mitarashi Anko.

"Well?"

Naruto clenched his teeth at the pain throbbing through his left arm. The bone was badly broken and the entire appendage felt like it was on fire. As he struggled to answer the Snake-Shinobi's question, he failed to notice the red glow that began to swirl around his wrist. Orochimaru, however, did not.

"I heard you knew loads of Jutsu, so I came to ask you for some."

Orochimaru froze in shock. His expression was perplexed. He, teaching Jutsu? What was he, some kind of Konoha Jounin Sensei?!

But then he laughed, the sound sickening the blond prank master to the core. There was just something so wrong about this whole situation. He was beaten and broken, lying at the feet of one of the most infamous missing-nin of all time and it was in that moment that Naruto truly recognised his childish folly.

Had he really thought that this....this remnant of a human criminal would teach him anything?! If normal Shinobi guarded their techniques with their lives, why then, did he ever think that Orochimaru of all people would ever teach him anything?

'Two of the same', he thought. Both he and the Snake of the Sannin were outcasts of their original societies, one shunned for reasons he hadn't even known and the other, expelled for reasons shrouded in mystery. The blond was badly mistaken. This man was thrown out of Konoha for a reason, it was obvious that the Sandaime was a capable leader, loathe as he was to admit it.

"You think that I would teach you, some of my Jutsu just because you came and asked for it?"

In an instant, all mirth disappeared from the Snake-Shinobi's eyes. Naruto found a fist buried into his gut sending him sprawling another couple of metres, his leg catching the stump of a tree as he fell.

"Loyalty must be earned, Uzumaki-kun. If you want to learn from me, prove to me that you are worth it. Prove to me that you have what it takes to learn what I could teach."

The calculating gleam that Orochimaru gazed at him with sent a shiver of fear down the Konoha civilian's spine. He really was a stupid, childish, immature little boy. And as he watched the Oto-leader turn and walk away from him, his body aching and battered, rage unlike he had ever felt before rose up inside him.

He had humiliated him, utterly and in the worst possible way for the young boy. His experiences had guided him down his torrid road, obstacles and craters lining his path at every direction. Death threats hanging over his head, the fear of his own demise strengthening every few days.

But there was hope.

Images flashed before his eyes, his form slumped in a patch of high-grass, his right leg awkwardly resting on the stump of the tree he had just hit.

_Standing on the Yondaime Hokage's head, basking in the warmth of the setting sun, the light breeze ruffling his hair._

_Speeding down the centre of a river, crystal drops of water showering down around him with two huge waves parting on either side._

_Floating in the air, grinning down at the sprawling city of rock that would be the next victim of his bored mind._

But one image lingered longer than the rest; the picture of three Konoha Jounin laughing uproariously at the painted face of the Raikage.

Warmth swelled in Naruto's heart. He realised now, what Shisui had been trying to tell him as he showed him how to track, what he had set off to show him instead of explaining. Shisui had asked him to kill the deer not because he couldn't....well maybe he couldn't, but that wasn't the main reason.

A grin grew on the face of the blond; his mind completely forgetting the throbbing pain in his body.

He didn't live to fight, but he fought to live. He had to survive in the best way he could, and unconsciously, that was what he had wanted when he had first asked the Sandaime to teach him ninja techniques. If he killed, it was because he had to. Would he sit by and let himself be destroyed?

There was no way that he would ever let that happen.

And he owed it to Shisui that he would rise above his problems and show the world that he wasn't the Uzumaki Naruto they thought he was.

His grin turned vicious.

Orochimaru had still humiliated him. For that he would pay.

Standing shakily, the blond brushed himself down; wiping the small trail of spit and blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. His will assured and his determination set in stone, he didn't stop to contemplate why he could walk without feeling any pain in his body or his right arm.

He had a debt to repay.

A thousand fold.

XXXXXXXX

Konoha really was a beautiful place in the depths of summer. As the Village's name implied, the capital ninja village of Fire Country was a very green expanse, trees and grass in abundance everywhere you chose to look. But that wasn't the only reason that Konoha was called its name.

The Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was said to have planted and nurtured the greenery of Konoha himself. It was said that his skill over his bloodline was so great that he could repopulate barren forests all by himself.

Konoha Shinobi were a proud part of this bastion of Fire Country; protecting and helping wherever they could and over time, they had evolved into the single most capable military power on the continent.

This had made them complacent, dangerously so, and yet the lax attitude bred a number of extraordinary ninja from every walk of like. Clans that were previously unknown, simple families that had joined the ninja trade to make a living and protect themselves, began to form their own unique styles. There wasn't any rigidity in the Jutsu system and this liberty gave birth to a huge variety of techniques unique to Konoha alone. Every field of the Shinobi had progressed in ways that nobody could have foreseen in the early days.

One such Shinobi was Yuuhi Kurenai. Specialising in Genjutsu, she was the best choice for a support ninja on any team, be it a squad of Jounin or Chuunin, she could fit in easily and to deadly effect. She was one of the hotshot Chuunin rookies of her generation and she was being touted as a potential candidate for Jounin in the next six months. Her skills were too easily wasted as a Chuunin and the administration wanted to settle her into a leading position; either teaching the next generation her skills to spread her speciality, or by taking out the most feared opponents in the land.

But all that was far from her mind in her present situation. Kurenai had just returned to Konoha along with her two teammates Raidou and Genma. The three-man Chuunin squad had been sent to mediate with Cloud after the events a few weeks prior. They had not been a Genin squad in their youth, yet they were fast becoming one of the most effective teams on the Chuunin roster.

Shiranui Genma was a Ninjutsu specialist. He could be found perpetually chewing a senbon between his teeth, his eyes gazing lazily at those around him and a blue bandanna covering his head. Their second teammate, Namiashi Raidou, was a Taijutsu specialist. He was by no means as strong as say Maito Gai, and yet his skills were nothing to sneeze at. As his surname suggested, he was a slow moving, power-packing Shinobi and he and Genma worked in tandem to deadly effect.

Kurenai complimented their skills well. In a fight, she could fall back whilst layering illusions over their opponents leaving them vulnerable to attack from all directions. All but the strongest of ninja could shrug off her Genjutsu and she was making a name for herself in the world due to her unique skills.

Saluting smartly, the three Chuunin headed from the main gate towards the Hokage Tower. Their mission had been successful for the most part; at least, a war hadn't broken out.

"GOD! That huge Jounin is such an idiot!" Genma's senbon moved up and down as he calmly listened to Raidou's rant.

"I mean does he HAVE to rhyme in every sentence that freakin' comes out of his mouth?! It doesn't even make sense half of the time!"

Kurenai grimaced. The downside of being on a team with a whiny young Chuunin.

"Don't give me that look Kurenai! He was spouting all that crap about 'fainting whilst painting' and I was.....ARGH! I was about to stab myself!"

Genma massaged his right shoulder lightly as they entered the market district.

"Raidou, you should know by now that there are a lot of Shinobi in other countries that are...eccentric." Kurenai snorted; very unladylike.

"I know! But man! That has got to be the worst quirk I've ever seen in a Shinobi! Do you think he was genuinely nuts?"

His two teammates remained silent, causing the scarred Chuunin to slouch forwards as he walked. Spoil-sports. They were so unsociable!

"What I wanna know is what Uzumaki was doing at the VOTE."

Kurenai's head whipped up at Genma's statement. It was unlike him to show interest in anything, but sure enough his Senbon hung limp from his lips, a deep frown scrunching his brow.

Kurenai brought her hand up to brush her soft raven hair from out of her ruby-red eyes. What was the young Kyuubi-container doing outside of Konoha? Not only that, but also he was moving in the direction of Rice Country with purpose and neither she nor Genma had an inkling as to why he would go there. At first, they had found it funny that a kid would move around without a care in the world whilst Shinobi moved unseen all around him. That was just asking for trouble. What was the Sandaime thinking, allowing him to leave Konoha with his condition?

But as they had moved into the trees on the opposite bank of the valley, they had seen him pump a large amount of Chakra to his feet, so much that they could see a layer of the blue energy pervading the air around his appendages. He had then shown a precise ability in Chakra control, blasting himself into the air using the Chakra Pads technique before landing daintily on the head of the Uchiha scion's statue. Kurenai had been shocked that one so young could pull off such a feat so easily; she had never seen the exercise used quite like that, she had only just learnt the technique herself and the most that the Jounin-hopeful would use it for was aiding in tree-jumping.

Reaching the base of the Hokage Tower, the three made quick time up the steps to the Tower's main corridor. Hurrying along the hall they stopped outside the Hokage's office, Genma striding forward and knocking purposefully on the thick, brown oak.

"Hai, come in."

Pushing open the heavy doors, the three entered their leader's room, standing to attention in front of the aging Hokage.

"Ahh, team Genma report. I trust your mission went well?"

The three Chuunin couldn't help but smile at the warmth in the venerable leader's voice. It made it so much easier to work in their field with a trustworthy and kind superior.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. As per the mission parameters, we were accepted into Kumogakure and escorted to the Raikage complex. Although angry at his ordeal, the Raikage assures you that he has no intention of hostile activity against Hi no Kuni whatsoever." Kurenai breathed in deeply. The soft scent of crushed herbs hung lightly in the air. It always made her sleepy when she stood in this office with the heat of the day warming her body.

"Excellent! Everything went smoothly then?"

The three Chuunin exchanged glanced.

"If I may Hokage-sama?" At the Sandaime's nod, Genma continued. "As was stated in the briefing, Uzumaki Naruto was involved in this incident. Luckily Kumo did not recognise who he was although they had received word from Iwa that the Tsuchikage was raging about the 'son of the yellow flash'. Naruto-san's escapade in Iwa has left an impact on all of the countries and as we were making our way back to Konoha, we saw him moving towards Rice Country."

Sarutobi paled alarmingly.

"What? Where did you see him?" The question was curt, and all three knew that this was important.

"The Valley of the End, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime slumped wearily into his chair, the wooden legs groaning at the sudden force of his weight.

"Damn! Jiraiya's out of the Village too..."

Kurenai only just picked up the Hokage's whispered words. Jiraiya? Jiraiya of the Sannin? What did he have to do with this?

"Team Genma, that will be all. Please have the written report on my desk by tomorrow morning."

Turning, the three shrugged at each other as they moved towards the door. The Sandaime's agitated expression alarmed them to a small degree. There was obviously more to this whole fiasco than was detailed to them.

Just as they exited the room, Raidou threw a square, white object which landed neatly on the Hokage's desk. At the questioning glance sent his way, he smiled and winked at his leader.

"Lighten up Hokage-sama!" With one last wink, he shut the door behind him.

Sarutobi reached forward and plucked the piece of paper, no, the photo, from the surface of his desk. Turning it over, he stared open-mouthed at the image.

The Raikage stood flanked by his brother and four other Shinobi. His face was painted a myriad of colours, vaguely resembling a rainbow in spring. The Raikage's face was contorted in fury and at the bottom-right of the frame; a small message was scribed in what could only be Naruto's handwriting.

'_Omni-Paint! ;D'_

XXXXXXXXXX

TenTen hefted her shopping bag as she walked slowly down the main road in Konoha's market district. She had had a hard week of training, her weapons accuracy had improved to a very high level and Higurashi-san had begun teaching her how to use summoning scrolls in battle. It was a highly difficult concept to master. One had to have a very fast hand speed whilst preferably using the Chakra Pads control technique to launch weapons from the air. When coupled together, the weapons-master was a dangerous long-range Shinobi, one that could provide brute force backup for the rest of the squad.

She had pushed all thoughts of her small conversation the previous week with her teacher to the back of her mind. She was fully focused on her training and she didn't have time to waste brooding on things from the past. She would be graduating in two years, and whilst she already knew all three Academy Jutsu thanks to a certain blond, she wanted to be as strong as possible for when that time came.

Naruto had given her those scrolls. She had mastered the Henge, Kawarimi and Bunshin from them and after leaving his apartment she had thought of going back to ask for more. But her pride and her stubbornness prevented her from doing something that would have been good for both of them. Every time she thought of her ex-friend, she would ruthlessly bottle her thoughts inside her mind, refusing to acknowledge them.

And yet Naruto had given those techniques to her, helped her wherever he could and she was shunning him. The brown-haired academy student was trying her utmost to forget her time with the blond, but every day brought another reminder, another memory of her time with him. It was annoying, but she couldn't seem to stop her thoughts no matter how much she tried.

In her furious introspection, she failed to notice a figure jogging towards her, black hair parted at the centre of his scalp, large bushy eyebrows mounted above obsidian eyes. The boy was wearing a white training uniform, one found commonly in most martial arts Dojos with a black sash tied around his waist.

With a cry, the two collided, TenTen's shopping bag following to the ground, the wrapped bunch of lettuce rolling from the top. Through her pain, the memory of a similar occurrence flashed through her mind.

_That's how I met him too._

"I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"

TenTen looked up to see the boy standing, his hand held out to help her up. The bun-haired girl realised that he was one of her classmates; at least she thought he was. He was either very quiet, or he was one of the outcasts of her year.

Grimacing at the dull throb in her side, TenTen grasped his hand and was surprised at the strength with which the boy grasped and pulled her to her feet. He was strong, not unlike Naruto.

Why the hell did she keep thinking about that idiot?! He had betrayed her trust hadn't he?

"Oh, I know you! TonTon, right?"

Again, the image of a blond-haired, cerulean-eyed, grinning visage superimposed itself over the boy's face. Hurriedly, TenTen rubbed her eyes, turning slightly to the side so the boy couldn't see her face.

"Are you okay?"

At that statement, the dam that had been held back for so long, the barrier that was built like a barrier snapped and the emotions she had refused to confront came rushing to her mind. Tears began leaking from the side of her eyelids as she struggled to understand why she was crying.

"I'm really sorry, are you hurt anywhere?"

"J-Just LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU BETRAYED ME!" Turning, the bun-haired girl ran as fast as she could to get away from that place.

Rock Lee stood bewildered in the middle of the street, his hand outstretched. He only had one word to describe the events that had just happened, and it wasn't even a word!

"Huh?"

And the kids at school called him weird! Ah well, he had better get back to training right? He had to show the world he could beat anyone without Chakra!

Pumping his fist in the air, his previous engagement forgotten, he broke into a light jog once again. The white plastic bag lay forgotten at the edge of a gutter, its contents spilled out to the side. A lone bunch of lettuce rocked back and forth as Villagers walked past.

XXXXXXXX

In a small town outside Tea Country, a buxom-blonde with a green jacket, her hair in pig-tails, sat gambling with a few card-sharks.

"PTTTTTHTHTHTHTHTHHTttttt!"

The men wrinkled their noses as the pink pig held in a black-haired girl's arms farted.

"GOD WOMAN! GET THAT THING OUTTA HERE! IT STINKS!"

Tsunade of the Sannin scowled heavily.

"DAMMIT SHIZUNE! When are you going to potty train that damned pig?! That's the fifth time we've been thrown out of a building because of him stinking up the place!"

"You can't blame TonTon, Tsunade-sama! He's just a pig!"

A very smelly pig! Why couldn't pigs sneeze instead of farting?!

The princess of the Sannin didn't realise the irony of her thoughts...

XXXXXXX

Oh-ho-ho. Orochimaru was going to pay! Naruto rubbed his hands in glee as he prepared his latest act of retribution. For the last week since his humiliation at the hands of the Snake of the Sannin, he had been terrorising Rice Country. After letting off the single biggest stink bomb known to the history of mankind, he had stumbled across the entrance to the Hidden Village of the Sound.

The noxious fumes were a bright orange colour, and Naruto noticed that in some places the gas would leak into the ground much faster than it would disperse in the air. He had no clue why that was and after sitting and watching the gas disappear, he had set out to find the answer.

What followed could only be described as chemical and biological warfare.

Orochimaru had awoken two days ago to find his entire village _reeking_ of bad eggs and what smelled vaguely like dog-poo. Feeling disgusted at the lack of hygiene on the part of his Shinobi, he had ordered some of the ninja to spray some air-freshener to get rid of the pervasive smell. It had been all good, the smell had slowly disappeared and by mid-morning the hidden sound smelt of lavender and chamomile, which coincidentally made Orochimaru's stomach wretch too.

He hated sweet things.

But then the smell had returned with a vengeance, leaking through the very air and saturating every breath with the foul stench of whatever the hell it was. Screaming in anger, the Snake had summoned three of his Genin and literally thrown them out of the village with the order of finding the source and obliterating it.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on which side you prefer, the entrance the three ninja were unceremoniously kicked out of was the same place that had seemed to swallow up Naruto's stink bombs and so Naruto found the door to the newly formed Otogakure no Sato.

The following day, Naruto had set out to launch a village-wide disaster. Slipping in to the underground haven, the blond prank-master snuck into as many rooms as possible, spraying every available piece of furniture with rude messages and pictures of a pale-faced 'snake-man' with his tongue caught in a jar of dog food. The Village was practically a Labyrinth. The houses and rooms were built out of the ground with long, endless corridors twisting and turning throughout the whole length of the Village. Much of the Village was obscured in darkness, with only the occasional light shining from the surface, burning lamps used to illuminate the 'streets'. As Naruto made his way through the maze of corridors and back-streets, he couldn't help but think that he was irrevocably lost. It was a spark of inspiration that had caused him to leave a Chakra Beacon seal he had designed on the spot, at the entrance to the Village; he would never find his way out otherwise! Later, he found the entrance to the Shinobi bathrooms and taking the golden opportunity given to him, slipped into the boiler room and empty a large container of corn-flour into the tank. Stowing his storage scroll back in his hip-pouch he moved on.

Finding no other opportunities, the blond exited the Village, dropping his invisibility technique and setting up for the night. He had awoken a few times to the sound of shouts of outrage and screaming. Each time he had grinned and fallen back to sleep.

But today was different.

Today, he had set up almost a hundred slingshots linked to a master seal that upon command, would fire dozens of oil pellets at the entrances to the village. He had thought about setting the oil on fire afterwards, but he didn't want to give himself away just yet. Better to have Orochimaru think it was a bunch of kids than to find him blowing up parts of the village. Furthermore, he had dug a huge hole deep into the ground directly on top of where he thought the centre of Hidden Sound lay. Upon striking thick concrete, the blond had used the Rasengan constantly until he had drilled eight holes in a square over the ceiling of the structure. Wrapping explosive tags around the hilts of eight kunai, he had jammed them into the holes and linked them by ninja wire to his main seal. He had managed to procure the equipment from a team of Grass Shinobi he had found dead at the border of Taki, no doubt the work of the evil missing-nin and his minions.

Grinning broadly, the blond took up position in a medium sized elm tree, granting him a front-seat view of the main entrance to the Village. It was ingenious really; something which no Shinobi would think was the entrance to a Village. All it was, was a small rectangular building, painted a single white colour with a block of wood mounted at the entrance; a small inscription carved into the surface that looked to Naruto, like two snakes. To think that this tiny bungalow led to a Village underground was simply so absurd that even Naruto thought it hidden.

'Dunno why it's called hidden sound though! In any case, better give it a reason to have its name, eh?'

With a ceremonial flourish, the blond 9 year old whipped his hand up into the air, before slamming it down on the master seal. Immediately, the array lit up in an awesome display of beauty, sapphire lines zooming outwards towards their targets in all directions. A loud explosion was heard almost immediately and Naruto spotted a bunch of gray pigeons taking flight through the trees in the direction of the centre of the Village.

He did not have to wait long for the fun to start.

It was very comical, almost as if the scene had been taken from a comedy-drama TV show back in Konoha. A squad of Shinobi attempted to exit the building, only to slip on the oil coating the floor. As if that wasn't bad enough, traps triggered by ninja wire opened up from the top of the entrance, covering the Shinobi, first in glue, then in Canary-Yellow feathers. A further set of stink-bombs dropped from the ceiling exploding all over them, soaking them to the bone in the deluge of rank-smelling liquid and gas.

Throughout all of this, Naruto sat hunched over his stomach, his right fist jammed into his mouth and his left hand sealing any gaps. His entire being rocked back and forth as he attempted to stifle the laughter that threatened to give away his location.

This was gold alright! The stink-bombs were his own concoction, made from the garbage cans of Taki's most decrepit areas, melted down with a small, prolonged Goukakyu and wrapped in a thin film of explosive. The smell would stick around for days even if they tried to wash it off, and hopefully in doing so, they'd use the rigged showers in the village.

A howl of pure fury and agony rent the air as with a loud crunching sound, the ceiling at the centre of the Village buckled inwards. Earth, grass and wet mud tumbled into the gaping fissure onto what was obviously a very angry "Snake Sannin". The ripped ground was followed by a smattering of Omni-paint, colouring the entire room with a makeover that resembled a 2 year old's bedroom.

At Orochimaru's second scream, this time one of shock and horror, the blond 9 year old actually fell off his tree from the amount of laughter wracking his small frame. The Shinobi caught in his entrance traps were too busy dealing with their own woes to notice the blue-eyed Konoha civilian falling from his perch and thumping into the ground.

Luckily for hidden Sound, the Village was built almost entirely underground and so the outside world wouldn't come to know of the day's events for quite a while. But when they did, Orochimaru would swear to kill the young Jinchuuriki in the most painful and humiliating way possible.

Orochimaru's humiliation and rage would only grow in the coming weeks. Woe was to him when he chose to hurt a child searching for knowledge in the middle of his country.

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! I promised a much longer chapter see? I always keep my word! Hope all of you liked it, TenTen's character development was pretty heavy in this chapter but I hope that didn't overshadow everything else!

Please review and tell me what you think!

MegaB, signing out!


	19. Chapter 19

Welcome back to the 19th instalment of Konoha: Naruto's Playground! I'm MegaB and this is my story! (Hey that rhymed! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! HEY THAT RHYMED TOO! XP)

Ok, I hinted at a release for yesterday and indeed this chapter was completed yesterday, but I was too tired to post it, so I got some shut-eye and here I am! Now, I've had some very interesting ideas given to me through the reviews lately and I intend to use them. I hope you guys find it as funny as I did!

Review Highlights go to SuperN-Gaspard once again and Dracco. Gaspard is literally one of the best reviewers ever! He's so useful, always picking out my mistakes and helping me improve the story all the time. I seriously doubt I would have gotten as many reviews if he didn't keep an eye on me! So thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

Dracco was also really helpful. He gave me a hilarious idea for next chapter, which I plan to start as soon as my exam finishes tomorrow! I hope you guys like it as much as I did, so a big 'thank you!' to Dracco as well!

Fanfic Highlight goes to Zessei's 'An Alternative Path'. It has a similar name to another story which I am a great fan of (I will try to get the author's permission to have the other one up here too!), yet it's so different. A very unique take on how canon could have been if a small change had occurred. Her OCs are original and very likable and I highly recommend it for anyone!

Aaaanyway, Chapter 19. Orochimaru really doesn't get a break does he? ;D

ZZZZZZZZZ

A bulky figure, about six-feet tall, landed lightly on the window-sill of the Hokage's office. Hardly a sound was made and only a soft 'Whumpf' was heard by the single occupant inside.

"Ahh, Jiraiya-kun. Please sit down, we have much to discuss."

The red and green-clad Shinobi frowned. Was that any way to greet a student who had been on a dangerous mission for two weeks?

Springing lightly from his perch, the broad-shouldered Gama-Sennin flopped onto a thick-backed wooden chair in front of the Hokage's desk.

"What do you need Sensei?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his forehead tiredly. He didn't know how to phrase what he needed to say, he'd have to get Jiraiya's report first.

"Let's hear how your mission went first."

Jiraiya's frown deepened. The Sandaime was in obvious agitation, it was practically blaring out of all his features; his worried hand movements, his shaky gaze and his quivering torso. Something was obviously weighing very heavily on the elderly Hokage's mind. Shoving his thoughts aside, he answered his former-teacher.

"I followed the trail back as you ordered. As we suspected Orochimaru has formed his own Village going by the name of 'Hidden Sound'. I tried to infiltrate the place, but Rice Country has been in an uproar for about a week now and I have no idea why. Anyway, I did make a breakthrough."

When Jiraiya mentioned Rice Country, the Sandaime's complexion paled further and Jiraiya was not one to miss the details. What did Sarutobi know that he did not?

"And pray tell, what was this breakthrough?"

Jiraiya shifted slightly, his gaze flicking to the door and then back to his Sensei's face. Getting the hint, Sarutobi touched the 'lockdown' seal-array on the surface of his desk. Although Jiraiya used seals on such a regular basis, he couldn't help but be awed as the beautiful delphinium-blue network lit-up in a cacophony of colour, spreading out in all directions of the room like a spider-web before finally returning to the black ink they had been written with. Seals truly were an art that no other field could match and he was once again reminded that for all the time consuming seals he had had to use, it was all worth it in the end; at least to witness the moment the array was used. Once the glow had died down he returned his gaze to his leader.

"I traced as far back as I could go. None of the spies had any in-depth information but Akasuna no Sasori came up quite a few times, as well as a certain organisation."

"An Organisation?"

Jiraiya smiled grudgingly.

"Yeah, although that was about all I could get. At some point, Orochimaru was part of this organisation, but they're a shadowy lot; there was no hint of a name or goal and I didn't have anywhere to go from there."

Hiruzen sat back, his right hand once again massaging his forehead. This was just not his job any longer. He was too old, politics was changing in ways that he had never experienced before and there was still the situation with Naruto.

"Anything else?"

Jiraiya shrugged.

"Not that I could find. As I said, they seem to be hiding pretty effectively."

Jiraiya watched pensively as the old Hokage turned his gaze to the open window that he had entered from. He admired his Sensei for that; he was so old and yet hardly any other Shinobi held a candle to his strength and resilience. He could be counted on to make a level headed decision in almost any situation. But the information that Jiraiya had given him wasn't what was obviously bothering the wizened Hokage. It was something else, something unrelated to his mission.

"What's wrong Sensei?"

Sarutobi cracked a small smile. Typical Jiraiya, he could read him like a book whenever he had a problem. Sarutobi would never forget the day his team passed the Genin test. Jiraiya had retained his easygoing nature and yet blossomed into one of the strongest Shinobi in the world. At least he had an outlet for the worries clouding his mind; otherwise he'd have gone half-crazy and broken something by now.

"About a week and a half ago, a three man team of Chuunin sent to Kumo to mediate with the Raikage over Naruto's stunt reported that they had seen young Naruto moving north from the Valley of the End."

It took a moment to register in the Gama-Sennin's mind, yet as he begun to realise the implications of the Sandaime's statement, a look of horror descended on his face.

"But that's...."

The room was silent for a minute; it was Jiraiya who suggested what was on both their minds.

"You don't think..."

Sarutobi nodded slowly.

"No way....." Jiraiya breathed. "It can't be...."

"If what you said is true and indeed, it does seem like something Naruto could cause given his previous international stunts."

Jiraiya grimaced at that. Why were all his apprentices such crazy daredevils?!

"But if he's caught..."

Sarutobi's eyes flashed in the dimly lit office light.

"Make it in time. You have no choice. If Orochimaru gets his hands on the Kyuubi we will have the worst possible situation on our doorstep within a year."

Jiraiya nodded grimly. Standing, he hopped to the very same window he used to enter and crouched down to leap out once again.

"Jiraiya..."

The younger Shinobi tilted his head to the side, his left eye visible to the aging Hokage. So this is what the Hokage had become; as his name suggested a mere shadow of his former self. He sat haggard, his wizened face covered in shadows, his cheeks appearing drawn and fatigued. The most he could do even after a week and half was to wait for his student to return, whilst the legacy of the Yondaime-Hokage may be in mortal danger. Jiraiya re-affirmed his conviction for never becoming a Hokage. He would never allow his morals and opinions to become twisted and corrupted by the lure of power.

No matter what.

"Make it in time."

Jiraiya turned and blasted off into the night.

XXXXXXXXX

The world had become dangerous once again for one Uzumaki Naruto. For the last two days, he had been forced to dodge numerous patrols and Shinobi sent to locate the source of Oto's 'Day of Humiliation'. That had almost caused the young blond's capture in the early hours of the previous day; having overhead a squad of surly-looking Chuunin describe his large-scale prank like that, he almost burst his remaining gut.

One had already burst from laughing so hard.

Naruto couldn't help but be reminded of his early days in Konoha, days he only wanted to forget. It reminded him of hiding in his youth, afraid of the scorn and expressions of disgust and fear directed his way whenever he ventured from the Orphanage where he resided. He vividly remembered fleeing in depression, hiding in the woods on the outskirts of the Village, anything to get away from the eyes that seemed to watch him wherever he went.

But this wasn't quite the same. This time the hate was justified. The first team of ninja that had exited the underground caverns of the Hidden Village of Sound seemed to be having a perpetual itch. Naruto concluded that corn-flour mustn't be very healthy for the skin.

Yet the frequency and number of Shinobi were increasing as the day turned to night. It seemed Orochimaru wasn't going to sit back and take his humiliation like a man. Naruto snickered softly at that thought; It wasn't as if he was a man in the first place, he wore ear-rings, eye-shadow and had long, girly hair for crying out loud!

Having that many ninja after him was tough. He had never had to hide for the amount of time that he was being forced to this time around. In Konoha, nearly everyone who had some brain-cells knew that there was only one person who could pull something as audacious as that without being caught, but this was obviously not Konoha.

Squinting through the gaps in the bush he had situated himself in, he spied another group of Shinobi zipping passed. His eyes widened as he saw the lead nin wearing a black flak-jacket, the collar turned up and a pouch attached to the bottom right hand side of the front. It was a Jounin, that much Naruto knew, and if Orochimaru had taken to sending Jounin out, it means he had upped the ante on this game of cat-and-mouse.

As always, the Oto Shinobi KNEW that there was an intruder, it was the downside of Naruto's Chakra Distortion technique. He had given the name to his first modification of the Chakra Beacon, and so his Chakra was currently spread out evenly in every direction. He was also hidden by his invisibility Jutsu. They shouldn't be able to find him if he kept moving around with the two techniques activated.

Night time was the most dangerous time for the Konoha Jinchuuriki. He knew he had to release his two techniques by then or face Chakra Exhaustion, and he was unwilling to go through THAT experience again!

And so he hid, trapping and baiting the Sound Shinobi at every turn that he could possibly find. He supposed he was having too much fun with his situation, that one three man team of Genin he had covered in a liberal dose Caustic Soda returned to their Village burning up.

Literally!

On another occasion, he had successfully pulled off the largest scale of wedgies he had ever seen or even heard about, in his humble opinion. A two-man Chuunin squad would rue the day their leader made an enemy out of Uzumaki Naruto, of course hanging from a tree with their underwear pulled over their heads and all their equipment stolen would only increase their rage.

Balancing precariously on the edge of the main entrance building of Hidden Sound, Naruto sighed as another team exited the building. A shiver of fear and anxiety raced up his spine as he sighted a three-man team of Jounin. This was getting well out of hand. If he kept baiting them it seemed Orochimaru himself would join in, and Naruto was very reluctant to let it reach that stage; his first encounter with the missing-nin had been anything but pleasant.

With a flash of inspiration, the blond knew exactly what to do. The place they would least expect him to be hiding in would be the Village itself! Hundreds of times the young Uzumaki had boggled over the fact that the Konoha Military Police would find him very quickly once he left the scene of one of his pranks. They would find him and he would have to get away, yet it was probably because he was actively TRYING to escape the scene that they had caught on so quickly.

With his newest epiphany at the forefront of his mind, he slipped inside the building and down the long winding staircase, disengaging his Chakra Distortion technique. It would do no good if they knew he was actually in the Village, so keeping his invisibility Jutsu up, he descended further into the Village, a myriad of prank-materials clinking in his tool-pouch.

One more prank and he would set out to view the rest of the world, and what a colourful world it was!

Or, dare he say it, what a colourful world he made it!

XXXXXXXX

Sighing in boredom, a certain brown-haired academy student stared blearily out of the window.

She was sick of crying. Lately it hadn't taken much to set her off and Miamura-Sensei had been bewildered when, upon asking her what the 'Goukakyu no Jutsu' was, the 10 year old had burst into tears, running from the classroom with a look of pure grief on her face.

No. She wouldn't cry anymore, no matter how bad she felt. She was beginning to realise that she couldn't always be what everyone wanted her to be, she couldn't always be what she wanted herself to be. Maybe she had tried to force Naruto to be her friend. Maybe she had always forced the blond to talk to her.

'Maybe,' she thought with a sob, 'he didn't even want to be my friend in the first place!'

Viciously squashing that thought with her subconscious, she shook herself from her depression before she burst into tears again. Her classmates were becoming edgy around her, not sure when they would say something to set her off and they were only further bewildered when white-eyed Hyuuga Neji struck up the courage to mutter 'cry baby' under his breath as she walked past without her rising to his challenge.

"....So let's go outside and see how much all of you have improved since then. I hope you brought all of your weapons with you as I asked yesterday?"

With a resounding chorus of "HAI"s, the throng of students picked up their bags-of-weapons and marched out the door of the classroom towards the training fields. A wide berth was given to TenTen as she heaved a massive bundle in front of her, dragging the monstrosity, whilst creating a rut in the wooden flooring in its wake.

As they reached the 'target practise range' the students dropped their bags to the grass and turned as a large crash was heard, many jumping in shock at the noise. Miamura Hokairo blanched as he saw the huge bundle of weapons that the up and coming weapons mistress had brought along. It wasn't even a stash's worth of weapons; it was enough to outfit a small army of Shinobi!

At her Sensei's disbelieving glance, the girl in question stared back with flat eyes.

"You said all my weapons."

The class sweat-dropped heavily.

"....Right. Well, take out three Kunai each and split up into groups of three. Each group to one training post. Make sure you throw from behind the red line. I will be watching carefully to make sure that you don't breach it and you will drop additional points for it! Let's see if TenTen will win this round again!"

At his encouragement the young Shinobi wannabes turned to their collections and rummaged around to get the appropriate weapons. Once again, all eyes were turned to the panda-styled girl as weapon after weapon flew passed the motley group of students. She sat on her haunches, her hands a blur as she checked and chucked every weapon at the top of her bundle behind her. It was like watching water geyser with a rock diverting the flow.

'_Was that a....screwdriver?!'_

"TENTEN, STOP! Just....stop..."

Miamura-Sensei almost regretted giving the order when the 10 year old turned her baleful chocolate eyes on him. Why the hell was she always depressed?!

"Here, you can use mine."

The girl rose and slowly walked over, taking the three proffered Kunai into her hands, immediately slipping them between her fingers. Hokairo wasn't a Chuunin-Sensei for nothing, and the speed, skill and grace that the girl displayed when she handled weapons was nothing short of expert. She had trained hard, and he could see it. He knew then and there that she would win the throwing contest that day, and every other day in the future for that matter; there was simply no-one who could match her talent in the usage of weapons and it was shown.

A short thirty minutes later, TenTen was left out in the field packing up her weapons with the loser of the contest, Rock Lee. Lee had been bewildered at the girl's response the previous week when he had bumped into her by mistake. He had been left standing in the middle of one of Konoha's market streets as the bun-haired 10 year old ran off with tears in her eyes. He wasn't stupid, there was obviously something wrong in her life and it would be rude to pry.

So he went about clearing up the training field diligently without speaking a word to his classmate. Whenever he picked up one of her weapons, he would simply drop them next to her bundle and walk off to find some more.

He paused when, as he returned carrying a spike-headed hammer and a crossbow, he saw TenTen crouching over a patch of grass, her shoulders quivering and her arms wrapped tight around her lithe frame. Tentatively, he approached the girl so as not to disturb her.

It was with shock that he viewed the scene. TenTen was staring with her mouth slightly parted, fat tears of sorrow trailing down her cheeks leaving patches of lighter skin on her pale face. But as his eyes moved to look at what was the cause of her despair, he caught sight of two of the most beautiful daggers he had ever seen. Even he, not in any way an expert when it came to weapons, could attest that these blades were of expert craftsmanship.

The pair of silver weapons rippled like molten copper in the setting sun, the golden light dancing in a glow of gleaming colour along their magnificent, deadly edges, blinding to any who had the fortune to gaze upon them. But it wasn't even their silver grace that entranced him; it was the stretching, twisting, _**lustrous, **_dragon etched from the hilt to the very tip of the daggers. In all its dazzlingly-green glory, the emerald eye stood out, flashing as a ray of light caught it, the wave playing over the surface of the stone, accentuating its depth and clarity.

They lay, side-by-side, gently bending the blades of grass beneath them, the colour of which seemed so dull against the incredible steel on top of them. They were about twelve inches long, the blade widening from hilt-to gently curved-tip, resembling a butcher's blade yet so different. The colour of the blade was only accentuated by the varnished mahogany of the hilt, the hand-guard a similar colour and clear, _**so clear**_, that the surface resembled that of polished-brown ceramic.

The blade was beautiful and deadly, a mixture that would be sure to end an enemy's life in a spark of green glory. Rock Lee then and there swore that he would never piss this girl off in his lifetime. If she had weapons like that, he didn't even want to know what else she could use on him if she wanted!

Shaking himself from the illusion of the blade, he squatted silently next to his female classmate. He didn't know what was wrong but it seemed that the sight of the two daggers brought up some sad memories for the brown-haired pre-teen.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I know, I know, but I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it, I'll come back, I promise....Y-You d-don't.....

Y-you don't have t-to say a-a-anything...."

Her soft sobs seemed to grow in intensity as she uttered those words, so lightly, so quietly, the wind whisked them away as a slight breeze blew through the field.

Lee was shocked to the core. The picture ingrained in his mind would be remembered forever; the scene of a young girl dressed in white and brown crouching over these beautiful green blades, the green glow emanating from them reflecting off her pale face and chocolate eyes, speckled with flickering crystalline tears.

It was breathtakingly bittersweet, like the ending of a tragic hero's tale. Lee had no way to understand the situation. He was simply caught in the moment, the very emotion rippling through his own subconscious, his eyes prickling with unshed tears as they welled up at his turmoil.

".....d-don't have t-to tell.....me.....secrets..."

She pulled herself in, her arms tightening around her torso burying her head on her kneecaps, her airy silken brown tresses falling over her head in a veil. Her entire being vibrated as she rocked back and forth on her heels, the very picture of an emotionally broken orphan. Lee knew about her early life, he'd been to the same Orphanage after all, and yet when she had disappeared....

It had to be something to do with that.

Slowly, he raised his hand and placed it lightly on the distraught girl's shoulder. TenTen flinched at the contact, deflating inwards even more than she already had.

"TenTen-san, I can't say I understand what you're feeling...." Lee paused, she hadn't acknowledged his words at all, yet he had to continue. "Whoever it is will come back."

"I'm sure of it."

He said it with such conviction, such heartfelt hope, that TenTen stopped moving. Her head rose, quivering brown eyes meeting obsidian black. Squeezing her shoulder lightly, Lee shook his head.

"We have to clear up TenTen-san. Miamura-Sensei will be angry if we miss the start of Tactics."

TenTen nodded slowly. Wiping her eyes with the side of her white sleeve, she stood and hastily stuffed the couple of daggers in her bundle. The two classmates walked side-by-side, neither uttering a word as they re-entered the academy building.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto was once again on the verge of a field day. Combining the fact that every room he had been to already had Omni-paint sprayed all over the walls in every manner of childish behaviour, with the half-empty bottle of Super Glue held in his chubby right hand and you had another day of total chaos for Otogakure no Sato. The problem which the young prank-master faced though was that _he had absolutely no idea where the hell he was!_

The Sound Village was literally a maze of corridors; endless twisting halls covering miles and miles of underground space. It was one thing covering the entrances, but attempting to navigate without any idea of which direction you were moving was an impossible feat for the 9 year old.

Just how did the Villagers find their way around?!

Where were the Villagers for that matter?

He had encountered no-one; not a single person had he seen even though he was still under his invisibility Jutsu. Spying two large, granite double-doors, the Uzumaki legacy hurried up to them and pushed his way inside, the hinges groaning as they moved.

The room he had entered was HUGE! The entire room was lit by flame-torches wall-mounted on brackets, interspersed by about one metre. A small shelf stood against the right wall, displaying a collection of gruesome artefacts; one of which seemed to be a human hand, blackened with some sort of inhuman complexion and a lone ring perched on the pinky finger.

That was freaky! What kind of a person uses a human hand as decoration?!

Striding over to the chair set in the middle of the room, the blond coated the cushion in a thick layer of super glue. Stopping to think, he then hurled a kunai with a small piece of ninja wire attached to the ring. The wire had a leaf of paper stuck to the end; a simple seal inscribed on its surface. The entire prank was cloaked by the shadows of the room; he didn't even have to do anything to hide it!

Slipping quietly into the shadows at the back of the room, he disengaged his invisibility Jutsu in order to use the true usage of the 'Chakra Beacon'. He focused inwards, decreasing the amount of his Chakra flow to almost nothing. Nobody should be able to detect him like this, even a Shinobi stretching his Chakra senses to the maximum.

He was just in time too. The double-doors were thrown inwards in an impressive show of force and Naruto's heartbeat sped up at the sight of his nemesis. Orochimaru strode into the room, fury etched into every crease of his face, his eyes flashing in the dim candlelight.

"Kimimaro! I want that person found, and I want him found within the hour. He's inside the village, there's no other place he could be. Do you understand me?!"

The Snake-Sannin's voice was quivering in madness, his rage barely restrained even when he was talking.

"Hai, Orochimaru-Sama!"

The Otokage sat down on his chair, resting his chin on the palm of his right hand. After a few moments he seemed to realise something was wrong and in another scream of absolute fury, realised he was stuck to his own furniture.

Naruto took that as his cue. Whipping out a camera from his hip-pouch, he released the seal hanging from the ceiling. Naruto had to hand it to the Snake guy, his head whipped around to stare at Naruto's position even though he couldn't see him; he had detected that infinitesimally tiny release of Chakra immediately.

With a small 'pop!' a single pellet of Omni-paint dropped from the ceiling. The Snake of the Sannin, realising what his fate was in growing horror, screamed like a little girl as he gazed at the falling ball. He viewed the event in slow motion, the candlelight flickering off the surface of the dull-grey pellet approaching him under the force of gravity.

With a small splat, the missing-nin could only stare in fury and horror at the sheer wrongness of his predicament, his face coated in a thick, gooey substance that he couldn't identify.

_He, the genius of the legendary three, had been humiliated personally whilst glued to a chair, and he was totally powerless to stop it._

The deal was sealed when a small click, flash and pop directed his attention back to the corner where he now knew his deadliest enemy currently stood. That had been a camera, and the person had obviously sealed it away as soon as he had the picture.

With a roar of pure anger, the white-skinned ninja literally _**ripped**_ the chair from his buttocks. Wasting no time, he shot forward, slamming his fist into his opponent, yet all he hit was a dead hand.

His old hand.

Recognising the Kawarimi, he instantly spun on his heel, ducking low as a water Jutsu flew over his head. There, standing casually in the middle of the room, was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

And he was laughing.

"You...." Orochimaru breathed the word like fire.

"I **WILL** KILL YOU!"

Wasting no time, the two exploded into action. Orochimaru was pulling no punches this time; he had allowed this farce to remain for too long. There was no way he would allow this.....this brat to leave the room.

Naruto once again felt the vast difference in ability between him and his attacker. He thought he would be able to escape at least, yet it seemed he wouldn't even be able to do that. It looked like he had played his luck too far and now he could only hope to survive.

Ducking a lightning-fast jab to his chin, he responded with a belt kick, powering the strike with raw wind Chakra. The blow missed completely and Naruto sailed forwards, sealing as he spun.

A Goukakyu sprang from his mouth, aimed at a water pipe running along the middle of the wall. Prancing backwards as the pipe melted, spilling clear drinking water onto the floor, the blond slammed his hand down into the liquid, his hand sparking from the use of the Hibana.

Orochimaru was forced to leap aside, avoiding the rush of conducting water. He landed in front of the double doors, the aura of ire palpable to Naruto even from that distance.

"The next attack will be my last."

Naruto shivered at the amount of venom in the Kage's words. It seemed he would be caught.

Again, he had no time to prepare. Given the ability of his enemy, it was surprising he had managed as much as he had. The Snake Sannin simply disappeared, Naruto's vision turned white and he collapsed to the floor.

His last thought before he lost consciousness filtered lazily through his mind.

'_I really need to learn some Taijutsu...'_

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Alright, the last scene feels a bit rushed to me, but I was really tired as I typed it out! Hope you guys like it anyway. Next chapter will see an Omake at the end as a celebration of ending my exams. If we manage to get 50 reviews for this chapter (the highest number I have gotten for any single chapter was 43 for chapter 17!), then I am going to update by Wednesday!

So R&R people! Tell me what you think, and tell me you love the cliff-hanger! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

PS: REVIEW BUTTON BELOW! :P


	20. Chapter 20

Yo Wazzup all my homies?! How's it hangin'? All joking aside, welcome to the latest and greatest instalment of 'The World is my Playground!' (Err, I don't think that's the name of this story...*Hey you! Shut UP!*)

I hope most people are surprised with the direction I took the situation in. Thanks go to Dracco for his excellent idea, with which I made full use! XP

Review Highlights go to PhilosophicalCAT, Amil0408, SuperN-Gaspard (Once again lol!), Khaak and Midnight-light-63559. PCAT submitted an unsigned review but it was really funny! He/She said that if I wanted 50 reviews, was it ok for her to review 50 times? XP

On that note, we didn't quite reach 50, but I'm averaging about 40 reviews per chapter now. I really hope it increases; I really get too much fun out of hearing people spaz and comment on my prowess!

Khaak and Amil submitted slightly detailed reviews, telling me what they liked and why they liked it. They were excellent reviews and also Amil said he liked the cliff-hanger (personally, I think he's crazy! ;D)

Gaspard once again picked apart my mistakes where no-one else was able to, should I just stick your name at the top of every chapter as my unofficial beta or something?!

Poor Midnight-light really hated that cliff-hanger! I'm really sorry, but I updated, see, SEE?

And to all the unsigned reviewers, it makes me sad that I can't answer your reviews, some of them were really good! So thank you all!

Story highlights go to Songbird21's 'Colours of Life and Death' and Moghedian's 'Mokushita Hyuuga'. They are two of the oldest fics in the Naruto fiction section and both are a riveting read. I can't stress how good they are, and I was really saddened to see such quality work not getting the fame that they deserve. So if you read them, do leave a review. The most I can ask is that you tell them where you heard of their stories from ehehe....

Anyway, buckle up for the rollercoaster people! Oro-chan has captured Naruto *GASP* Find out what happens in Chapter 20 of Konoha: Naruto's Playground!

(Err...Mega....he's not in Konoha though...)

(SHUT UP!)

ZZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

"**The next attack will be my last."**

**Naruto shivered at the amount of venom in the Kage's words. It seemed he would be caught.**

**Again, he had no time to prepare. Given the ability of his enemy, it was surprising he had managed as much as he had. The Snake Sannin simply disappeared, Naruto's vision turned white and he collapsed to the floor.**

**His last thought before he lost consciousness filtered lazily through his mind.**

'_**I really need to learn some Taijutsu...'**_

ZZZZZZZZZ

Orochimaru of the Sannin was furious. His entire being quivered in rage as he glared down at the unconscious form of the source of all of his ire for the past few days. How could one, 9 year old boy cause an entire village such uproar? Why was it the blond, bumbling idiots that always managed to push his buttons?

"_Loyalty must be earned, Uzumaki-kun. If you want to learn from me, prove to me that you are worth it. Prove to me that you have what it takes to learn what I could teach."_

He remembered now, his first meeting with the brat. His words seemed to have stimulated such arrogant behaviour in the child; maybe he had humiliated him too badly?

No, it had absolutely nothing to do with that. The scale and nature of the atrocities he had been pulling were far too extravagant for it to be entirely based on their encounter. No sane person would go to such lengths to seek vengeance from something like that. But then again, the Uzumaki heir may not be entirely sane himself.

A cruel grin stretched across the man's face, his purple eye-shadow stretching as his sickly-yellow eyes bore into the back of the incapacitated Konoha Jinchuuriki.

It seems young Uzumaki had had a hard childhood. Orochimaru was not called a genius for nothing; the blond pariah had acted like someone with an ego to prove, someone with a grudge against the world. No other explanation would fit with the indiscriminate amount of effort heaped into his so called 'pranks'. But his life was only going to get harder now that he had angered the Otokage.

Before he killed him.

Orochimaru chuckled mirthlessly. Oh he'd pay for that, he'd pay ten times as much as the damage he had inflicted on the Village of Sound.

And then the Snake Sannin would kill him and feed him to his summons.

XXXXXXXXXX

Being a legendary Shinobi wasn't all it cracked up to be for one Jiraiya, the Gama-Sennin. Sure, the prestige and power that came with it were all good and dandy, yet the things that had to be done...

Jiraiya didn't know if it was worth it. The red and green clad spy-master had been trained by a Hokage, not only that but he had also trained a Hokage himself. And that Hokage turned out to be the strongest Shinobi bar none. Jiraiya was no stranger to strength and it showed in everything he did. Many may call him a fool, a lecher and one who didn't take life seriously, yet it was he who gave Konoha all its information. It was he who protected the Village from the outside.

Crouching on a tree limb, the toad-summoner stared critically at the area he was situated in. There had been a battle here not too long ago. Maybe just before the last time he had been this way. Dropping lightly to the ground, the Shinobi examined the area.

Burnt leaves lay concentrated in the foliage to the north side of the clearing, definitely a sign of either a fire or lightning Jutsu. There were indentations and crevices in a few of the trees, and it was safe to say from the leg-shaped depression in the medium-sized stump, that there had been a vicious Taijutsu fight in the area. However, something else caused the legendary nin to recoil in shock.

A long, thin trench was knifed into the ground, about a metre and a half in length. What shocked the Shinobi though, was that the cut was so thin and precise that he had no doubt in his mind of the identity of one of the attackers.

It stank of Orochimaru.

Who he had been fighting, his ex-teammate had no clue, but he dearly hoped that Naruto wasn't caught up in all this. Otogakure had been on high alert for almost three whole days. The Gama-Sennin had been forced to dodge and hide from every patrol that was sent out, and he couldn't locate the entrance to the Village.

Where were they all coming from?

He tracked one three man squad west, almost to the border with Taki. The team had looped around and simply headed on their way, almost as if the military presence was a pre-planned action. But none of it made any sense. The only reason for a Village to be in such disarray was if they were expecting an attack, but hardly anyone even knew that there was a Hidden Village here. Even Jiraiya had only just found out recently. Oh, he'd had his suspicions, but he'd never had any substantial proof to back it up. It was a testament to his ex-teammate's skill that his ability for deceit and misdirection hadn't waned in the slightest.

Jiraiya was faced with two options. Either he sat tight and observed the situation for a while longer, or he actively went about trying to find the Village. The former seemed like a much better idea. He didn't want to tip Orochimaru off that Konoha had discovered his whereabouts and at least some of his intentions, and he wasn't entirely sure if he would be able to evade the wily snake for that long.

No, the first option was far better. In that way he could ascertain if the son of his student had anything to do with this mess before making a move. For some reason, the white-haired Shinobi had a sinking feeling in his gut and it was making him feel uneasy.

And just why the hell did every Sound ninja seem to have a perpetual itch?!

XXXXXXXX

Screams rent the air in the Hidden Village of Sound. Anyone who approached the control room was sickened by the intense shouts of pain that echoed around the stretching hallways. It had been going on for hours and it didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. To the Shinobi population who had the misfortune of having to patrol near the room with some regularity, they wondered who could last that long from such prolonged torture, for there was no doubt in their mind that the perpetrator of all the chaos for the last few days had been caught.

Naruto blearily forced his eyes open. His mouth was gaping; he didn't think he had closed it in about an hour or so.

'An hour?' He didn't know how much time had passed. His world was a torrent of pain and fire, his mind clouded and withdrawn in an attempt to preserve his sanity. Yet he was close to his breaking point. No human could do this to a child, and Orochimaru was doing a good job proving it.

Raising his head, he glared weakly at his captor. The Snake Sannin grinned cruelly at the pitiful expression spread across the 9 year old's face. He held a shining silver double-edged sword in his right hand, a tongue of blazing-orange fire dancing along the edge.

"Amazing, isn't it Uzumaki-kun? The things a Jinchuuriki is granted by its Bijuu..."

Using what little strength he had, the blond Konoha Civilian spat a glob of blood and spit at his enemy's face. The vile mixture splattered on the Missing-nin's right cheekbone, dribbling down the crevice in his facial features before dripping from his chin. Orochimaru's face contorted in fury, and once again the flaming sword was slammed into the Jinchuuriki's torso.

Naruto's spine arched in pain. Liquid fire raced along his chest; he couldn't breathe or move. His eyes bulged as another scream tore from his mouth, his muscles contracting trying something, _**anything**_, to reduce the pain. The ex-Konoha Shinobi ripped the weapon from his body, fragments of muscle, skin and bone dislodging from the wound as it was pulled with the weapon. There was a large puddle of blood underneath the blonde's suspended body and it was only growing larger.

The pale-faced legendary Shinobi took a step back, his expression morphing into one of vindictive fascination. Crimson Chakra sparked along the newest wound inflicted on the child's body, the structure knitting together neatly as the skin warped and re-grew over the hole. The regenerative abilities granted to Uzumaki Naruto were astounding, far outmatching those of his trusted spy Kabuto. If he was able to extract the secret from the body of the child, it would be a massive breakthrough for the ex-Konoha-nin.

Oh, he would keep him alive for now, long enough to repay the humiliation he had wrought on his Village.

Slowly, Orochimaru stepped away, laying his Kusanagi blade on the seat of a small chair at the back of the room. The impromptu torture session was situated in the control room of the Village. Orochimaru had had the blonde's body brought here so that he could dish out the child's recompense whilst monitoring the restoration of his domain. He would not have his underlings slack off at this critical moment; Oto was weak and in a state of confusion, he would not allow word of his hidden movements to filter through to the outside world. His old comrades were a wily bunch and they would find him if he made the slightest mistake.

For Naruto, his mind was a haze of painful-red for a further five minutes. When the pain dulled to an agonising throb, he struggled to raise his head and understand what was going on. The room was dimly-lit, like most of the rooms in this cursed place, yet there was some kind of computer stretching along the far side of the room. From his shackled, elevated position, the 9 year old could just make out the flashing lights from the screen. It was lucky that he wasn't any closer; he was sure the bright flashes would only serve to worsen the pain in his head.

Slowly, his strength began to return to him. It seemed that the Kyuubi's Chakra didn't only fix his body, but was also a fail-safe for when he ran out of his own.

"_Why do you think I wanted to learn ninja techniques? To make myself forget about this..."_

"_We all have to die kid. Whether in battle or laying down 80 years from now. Do we survive to protect ourselves, or do we starve and let our enemies kill us?"_

Shisui's words filtered slowly through his head, it seemed so long ago that he'd had that discussion with the upbeat Uchiha survivor. What he wouldn't give to be with the friendly Sharingan user...

"_You're one hell of a fighter kid, I know you're not a Shinobi, but you can sure as hell fight like one."_

"_I waited here for you all this time you know? I was so worried when they told me you were in the hospital and I came to see you straight away! What's so important that you can't trust me with it?! You know how we've lived; we can't survive without trusting each other! It's why I left that Orphanage in the first place!"_

Images of his time together with the three Jounin, Ero-Sennin, the Sandaime and even the Ichirakus flashed in front of his mind's eye. How many times did he wallow in nostalgia, seeking an escape into his memories, into the few pleasant recollections embedded in his mind?

The image of TenTen's smiling face swam before his eyes. Was she waiting for him even now? Would she be waiting for him when he got back?

If he ever got back.

"_I wanted to forget this feeling. This....this....loneliness and sadness. I didn't want to be sad anymore. I didn't want to wake up in the morning with the picture of people shouting at me, or throwing things at me in my head over and over again..."_

His words came back to him as he gazed unseeingly in front of him. His way of life was threatened once again and he was beginning to realise that it wasn't the world that needed to change.

No, it was him.

Images flashed in front of him, images of a dead man, a blade poking from his chest. Images of bodies; strewn around a street like litter from a festival. Images of two Villages; one covered in paint and the other flashing by as he raced away. The world was a dangerous place, Shinobi up to their teeth in every country. Villages were strained against each other, building their forces for a time when war would once again break out. And within all this, he was just an insignificant speck, a bystander, looking onwards as the Shinobi forged ahead.

How many times had he thought on his choices? How many times in the past had he re-affirmed his reasons for living? His mind was a whirl of emotion as he remembered his short, yet brutally eventful 9 years. And once again his darkest fear sprang to the forefront of his mind.

"_And that is all the proof you require. If you resist me, then grow strong, strong enough to fight me. You have tasted but a particle's worth of my strength so know what you are up against. But know this; I will be back, and when I return it is either your death or mine, Uzumaki Naruto."_

Uchiha Madara. The man that would kill him. Something primal, animalistic, bubbled up within the blond 9 year-old's being. He knew this feeling; he had felt it in Iwa when he and Anko were surrounded, and in a brief moment of realisation he recognised it for what it was.

He would survive.

And if it meant ruining the hell out of other people's lives, then so be it. He was no longer the small 4 year old who just wanted security. No, he had graduated from that now, and his battles with Orochimaru had shown him his place in the world. Madara was far stronger than the Snake-Sannin, and if he couldn't hold a candle to the man's strength, then he really needed to get a move on.

And making the ex-Konoha Shinobi's life suffer at the same time would only be an added bonus.

Stretching his wrists in their chains, he tested the mobility of his body. Everything seemed to be working fine, so it was time to make a break. Naruto knew he had only one advantage in this situation; the legendary ninja hadn't seemed to realise that he was a wind user. It would be his only chance to escape. As he went over his plan one more time, a red-flashing light next to a lever caught the corner of his eye. The blond grinned through his tears.

Orochimaru watched with glinting golden eyes as his minions went about fixing up the damage to all the rooms in the underground Village. That dratted paint was proving to be a very troublesome decoration; it had resisted all efforts to be scrubbed from the walls. It would be a very effective medium for seal inscription though, especially permanent ones, if the resilience was anything to go by.

Turning from the monitors at the low knock that reverberated from the solid oak room door, the Snake-Sannin gave his permission for Kimimaro to enter.

"Orochimaru-Sama, the clean-up is going to plan. Almost eighty percent of the Village has been restored, but the paint is proving difficult to remove."

Orochimaru hummed in thought. Having made up his mind he opened his mouth to give new orders to his most loyal subject. He was stopped at the sight of a wide-eyed Kaguya, staring at something behind the white-skinned Otokage.

A feeling of dread washed through the Missing-nin's body. As his head turned slowly, the first thing that caught his eye were the manacles used to suspend his blond-haired prisoner to the wall.

They were sliced cleanly through, laying neatly side-by-side on the floor. There was no sight of the 9 year old. Orochimaru's head whipped around. So he could use Wind Chakra? His mind was jolted at the memory of an especially powerful kick that he had been forced to dodge. He should have seen it; it was clear that Wind Chakra had been used to augment that move.

The blond was sitting calmly in-front of the computer regulating the innards of the Village. The Snake-Sannin's eyes widened as he saw the child reach for the power lever to the generator room that fed the entire Village. Not only did it keep all the electronics working, it was also the source for the many experiments the Missing-nin was currently working on. One of which, was a new explosive seal array large enough to devastate an entire town.

"Oi, Hebi-chan! What's this thing do?"

It was such an innocent question, and Orochimaru reached his hand out attempting to reach the brat before he did anything.

"STOP!"

The two sound-nin could only watch in growing horror as the captive pushed the power output to the top of its range. The effect was instantaneous.

The massive screen grew so bright that the candlelight was drowned out, the room illuminated in the flashing warning signals popping up all over its surface. With a shocking 'BANG!' the screen exploded and Naruto had to duck quickly to avoid the fractured glass from striking him as sharp-edged pieces were thrown outwards. The room was once again plunged into dimly-lit shadows as the light from the screen went out.

The blond Uzumaki shivered as he turned to face the low hissing sound emanating from behind him.

"You.....YOU TOTAL IMBECILE! YOU IDIOTIC BUFFOON! HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nope!" He answered brightly.

And then the world exploded.

XXXXXXXX

Jiraiya had no words to describe what he was feeling at the moment. One minute all had been quiet, even the scouting squads had been reduced and things were returning to what he would consider normal.

But then there was a massive explosion, obviously having been triggered from underground as suddenly large portions of earth began to cave inwards. It was then that the Gama-Sennin realised his mistake. The Sound Village wasn't a traditional place; Orochimaru had situated it under the ground!

Genius indeed.

But that was the least of his worries at the moment. Alarm sounds began blaring somewhere in the breached Village, they were so loud that even outsiders could hear them from the surface. A large mushroom-cloud of smoke billowed up from above the trees and Jiraiya could only stare in morbid interest as it floated away, borne by the winds of the sky.

Shinobi began pouring out of the ground. Jiraiya now realised what he had once believed to be potholes were actually entrances. Acting swiftly, the legendary Shinobi activated his invisibility Jutsu and leapt away from the commotion. He could not be caught in the situation. It would be the worst possible time for anyone to find out he was here.

Crouching in a bush, he suddenly became aware of a rush of foul Chakra, permeating the air like a poisonous gas, inducing fear and paranoia in all who felt it.

It was Naruto!

What the hell was going on down there?! At least he had definite proof that the 9 year old was here now. He could no longer sit back and witness the events. Naruto was down there and that changed everything.

He had to go in, there was no way he would not after gaining the information he had been seeking. Couple that with the apparent pandemonium gripping the Village of Sound and you had a potentially volatile situation. He had to get his blond godson out of there before he got hurt. Steeling himself, he bolted out of his hiding place, running as fast as he could to one of the entrances, a roughly hewn porthole that led to a stone staircase. He needn't have worried, at the speed he was moving, not one of the escapees could even so much as see him.

Speeding down the steps, he released his Jutsu, phasing back into view as he reached the bottom of his descent. He had a very good idea of the blonde's position; he could feel the tumult of the Kyuubi's Chakra, unrelenting as it was emitted from the brat. Explosions rocked the underground halls as Jiraiya made good time to the centre of the source of monstrous power weighing down all the air around him.

Was it an attack? He couldn't be sure, but it seemed like it had come from underground. Either Sound's enemy was already in the Village, or there was another explanation. He didn't have time to consider all the possibilities; at the present moment, Naruto's safety took precedence.

He pounded down the candle-lit corridor, not stopping to consider why the walls were covered in paint. He would later realise that the Snake-Sannin had instigated the blond prank-master's ire, but for the moment he could only think of reaching his quasi-protégé.

Suddenly, something slammed into his gut, knocking him backwards. In an instant, he was up, hackles raised in expectation of a fight.

"Ero-Sennin?! Ehhhh?! What you doin' here?!"

The Gama-Sennin could only stare bug-eyed at the 9 year old who looked beaten and bloody, large tears and holes decorating his upper-clothing, yet not a blemish to be seen on the smooth, tanned skin underneath.

"Naruto...What the hell did you do now?"

The young blond looked askance at the question.

"Who me?! Nothing!"

Jiraiya's already sunk gut, plummeted some more.

"Nothing.....really...."

The red and green clad Shinobi shot forward, shoving his impromptu cargo to the side as a HUGE tongue of angry flame roared down the corridor.

"Oops! I think he caught me!" Jiraiya didn't spare a glance to the owner of the voice. He was too busy regarding the incensed pale-faced Otokage approaching with measured steps.

And he was not happy, not at all.

"Ehehe....Oro-chan. Umm, nice weather today huh?"

There were no words as both Shinobi shot forward, a blur of red and black. In those brief seconds Naruto came to realise the real gap in strength between him and the two fighting ninja.

Jiraiya's fist zipped outwards, a devastating haymaker aimed at the chin of his adversary. The blow clipped the Snake-like Otokage, yet he rolled backwards with the blow, reducing the force of the punch as he went. Jiraiya was forced to leap sideways as another fireball raced towards him, singeing the edge of his red cape as it blew down the hallway.

"Naruto! Get out of here! I'll handle this! Don't wait up, I'll catch up later!"

The blond shot a sceptical look at his protector before jogging down the hallway towards his Chakra seal he had left at the main entrance. Just as he moved out of view, he looked backwards to catch a glimpse of the battle.

It was unbelievably intense, far above anything he himself could manage. A stream of snakes slithered quickly down the missing-nin's right arm, snapping and biting at the Gama-Sennin. Jiraiya jumped back, a Kunai slicing at the summons as a small swamp formed under his opponent. Jumping like a panther, Orochimaru stuck to the ceiling, a brace of Shuriken flying forth from his outstretched hands, missing Jiraiya by a hair's-breadth as he returned fire with his Kunai.

Naruto turned and ran as fast as he could. He didn't encounter anyone and his bewilderment grew as further earthquakes rocked the underground complex. Where the heck was everyone?! At the imminent bedlam, Villagers should be pouring out of every escape alley available, and yet the halls were as silent as a grave.

He pounded up the steps as fast as he could, reaching the small building that held the exit to the surface. Sprinting, he cleared the doorway, only to stop fast in his tracks.

It seemed his question had been answered.

He was surrounded by a large number of Shinobi, all armed to the teeth and grinning like a bunch of hyenas on feeding day. Grimly, the young blond readied himself for a fight; he wouldn't kill unnecessarily, but he had made up his mind down there. If they forced his hand, he was pulling no punches.

But then, in a flash of inspiration, he realised that he could get out of this situation without a fight. All he had to do was get away right?

Bringing his hands up, he released the final form of the Chakra Beacon technique, one that was unique to him. A surge of demonic red Chakra burst forth from his body, the heavy aura slamming down on the unsuspecting Sound Shinobi. The weaker ones fell to their knees under the malevolent pressure, whilst the Jounin stood frozen, sweat beading their foreheads.

Naruto didn't waste any time. Jumping forward, Chakra brimming around the soles of his feet, a wave spread out from his heels in a sonic-boom as his small body was thrust into the air. As he reached the edge of the clearing his glanced back.

'_Don't die Ero-Sennin.' _

And with that, he swung off a tree limb and continued on his way.

ZZZZZZZZZ

AND CUT! OK, Chapter 20, (OMG twenty chapters! NO WAY!) all wrapped up and finished! Naruto is free from the clutched of the evil Snake-guy and he's heading to who knows where! And in celebration of the end of my exams.....

ZZZZZZZZ

OMAKE: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KAZE NO YAIBA?!

XXXXXXXX

A five-man platoon of Sound ninja moved out towards Konoha, their destination and mission set in mind. They had to go in and infiltrate the Village for the Chuunin exams, in doing so, ready themselves for the invasion Orochimaru-Sama had planned for the Hidden Leaf.

As they reached the bottom of the Valley of the End, one red-headed Kunoichi stopped at the bank of the river leading up to the great waterfall.

"Huh? What the hell is that?"

Her teammates turned to gaze in the direction her finger was pointing. A lone scroll covered in swirly blue clouds, lay covered in mud at the edge of the bank. The colour of the parchment was faded, and the metal roll used at its centre was browny-orange with rust.

Approaching cautiously, the fiery red-head picked the scroll up carefully, brushing her hand along the opening of the roll, a glob of mud smearing along the length of the appendage.

"Yuck! Who the *beep* *beepin'* *beep*'s like that?!"

"Tayuya, girl's shouldn't swear. It's unbecoming of them."

"Oh, go *beep* yourself, you *beepin'* mother*beep*."

Her teammates' eyebrows rose at her crass language. Did she even know how to speak without uttering obscenities in every sentence? Maybe she was retarded or hadn't learnt the language properly?

Ignoring the incredulous looks sent her way; the red-head opened the scroll fully, staring down at the washed-out words of the scroll that had obviously spent too long in the water. Who would throw a Jutsu scroll down a waterfall?

Trying to discern anything from the paper in her hands, the girl saw a small seal inscribed at the bottom in thick black ink. It was obviously unaffected by the cohesive effect of the water, maybe the scroll's maker was far cleverer than she thought?

_**Channel Chakra here, for Super, Awesome Technique.**_

Well that was self-explanatory! Tayuya daintily placed her hand on the seal and did as the scroll instructed.

"H-Hey Tayuya! W-Wai-"

In a great puff of smoke, the Kunoichi's form was enveloped as the seal was released. Her teammates waited with baited breath for the smoke to clear.

Sakon snickered.

The red-head stood stock-still, her entire form bathed in rainbow-coloured Omni-paint. Not a single millimetre of skin or clothing was spared.

"O-oi....didn't that Uzumaki kid use that kinda stuff?"

The group shuddered. If they ever mentioned his name in front of Orochimaru-Sama, their lives would be forfeit.

Jiroubo's belly wobbled.

Kimimaro chewed a bone.

And Kidoumaro was busy building his latest web.

Tayuya glared furiously at the scroll in her hands, coincidentally totally clean. A new message had appeared in flashing Kanji.

_**HOPE YOU LIKE THE NEW PAINT JOB! REMEMBER TO WASH WITH CORN-FLOUR!**_

_**YOURS-HILARIOUSLY**_

_**UZUMAKI NARUTO**_

Drawn underneath, was a silly caricature of an animated boy with a victory sign holding a massive paint brush, a rainbow decorated behind him.

What followed cannot be described here due to the occasional presence of a young reader. It heavily entailed the use of a flute, three big monsters and a LOT of swearing.

Naruto would wonder why he woke up with a very bad cold in the morning.

ZZZZZZZZZ

Hope you guys liked that! No-one even bothered to ask what happened to the Kaze no Yaiba scroll that Naruto tossed when he couldn't do it. Let's just say he left a little surprise...Ehehe...

Anyway, please leave a review and tell me what you think!

MegaB


	21. Chapter 21

Yo all! Welcome to Chapter 21 of K:NP! I'm a bit depressed today, the reason being that I had a really small response to last chapter. I had more than 2000 hits to Chapter 20 and just over 20 reviews. I haven't had so few reviews since Chapter 11! Did you guys not like it or something? :'(

Anyway, Review Highlights (from the few I had) go to Knuckz, ^^*, Vilkath and Lord Ezra'il. Knuckz and Vilkath brought up a very good point about Naruto's apparent confusion. Honestly I'm surprised that not many people were beginning to question why Naruto had to constantly re-affirm his motivations nearly every chapter. Well done you two, I hope the rest of your questions are put to rest this chapter.

^^* has been reviewing for a while now. He/She always reviews as unsigned though so I had no way to answer to them. Rest assured I love your reviews, they're very entertaining and I do read every single review I get!

And finally, Ezra'il gave me a very good idea for later on in the story. Kudos!

Fanfic Highlights go to Legilmyth's 'After the Pain' and Shivakashi's 'Medicinal Lullaby'. They are both highly psychological stories, with AtP being one of my favourites. Legilmyth went on holiday or something for a very long time, and we were all left hanging, waiting for the next chapter. Thankfully He/She has begun continuing again! If you haven't read them, give them a go, they'll blow you away for sure with the sheer emotion contained in their plots.

Anyway, I really hope you guys like this chapter, so please, PLEASE leave a review telling me what you think! I live on your reviews and I can't write without them!

ZZZZZZZZ

Amber eyes flashed as a gout of red-hot flame roared down the corridor, illuminating the darkness in a fiery glow of brilliance. As darkness once again descended in the hallway, the 'chink!' of metal hitting metal resumed.

Jiraiya knew he had to get out. Restricted areas weren't his forte; he was a brute-force Shinobi, one that thrived on big, flashy techniques to devastate his enemies in a few blows. Yet his opponent, Orochimaru, was far more suited to the current environment. It was hard keeping track of the furious battle raging between them, the world spinning and revolving as the two separated and attacked again and again, Jutsu flying in every direction in quick succession.

Jiraiya had to hand it to his ex-teammate; power hadn't made him complacent, he was every bit as dangerous as he was when he first defected from Konoha.

Skipping backwards, the Gama-Sennin stopped to catch his breath, quickly flinging himself to the side to evade another Water Jutsu; this time a ball of high-pressured liquid. Naruto had made it out and Jiraiya could feel his Chakra signature getting further and further away by the second. Although the green and red-clad ninja's cover had been blown, it was a necessary risk, and now he had to make good his escape.

"How.....did you find me, Jiraiya-kun?"

The Konoha Shinobi grimaced as an image of his last fight with his ex-teammate flashed before his eyes. He had thrown away their bond of friendship they had once shared. The Orochimaru standing before him was not the same one he had grown up with. This one was a mere fragment of the brilliant prodigy that had once graced the Jounin population of the Leaf Village.

He would not fall to his goading.

"Wasn't too hard 'Rochi-chan. I've been tracking you for years."

If the snake-like man was surprised to hear that, he hid his shock well as his face was a mask of indifference.

"Nice paint job by the way! I didn't know you were into rainbows and unicorns! Seems like all those rumours of you loving kids were true huh?"

Jiraiya rolled to the side as a Fuuton: Daitoppa roared down the hallway. He heard a low hiss as he turned back to face the pale-faced Otokage.

"You dare!.....I will hunt that brat down to the ends of the Earth if I must! He will pay for such insolence!"

Jiraiya grinned. Oh, he just couldn't miss this chance!

"Aww come on 'Rochi-chan! I know you like it! Didn't you just love animals when you were little? Why there was that one time with that tiger and the –"

Orochimaru screamed in rage as he threw himself forward, three green pythons launching themselves from beneath his right sleeve. Jiraiya hopped backwards, his thrown Kunai already embedded into the heads of the attacking reptiles. Slamming his hand on the cement floor, a dark cloud of smoke obscured his form.

"Look 'Rochi-chan. I know you always wanted to be a clown, I mean with the long hair and the multi-coloured nose and all. But I got places to be, so I'll –"

Ducking down to avoid a swipe from the double-edged sword that swung for his head, the Gama-Sennin pressed his left hand to the floor as he formed a Rasengan in his right. The Delphinium sphere sprang into his palm, a vortex of the purest, tornado blue, lighting up the shadowy hallway like the depths of the ocean.

Throwing his body forward as his Doryuuheki formed, he punched right through, the Rasengan blowing a hole in the middle and catapulting earth and rock at the incensed Missing-nin. As the man was forced to defend, Jiraiya leapt backwards, landing fluidly on the head of his battle toad that he had summoned.

"Well, let's meet again, 'Rochi-chan! Sweet dreams! I'll bring you some picture books next time, rainbows and all! Gamahiro, get us outta here."

With a grunt, the orange and blue toad pulled his two blades from his back, the monstrous Katana thrumming with Chakra. Launching into the air, Gamahiro spat a massive glob of oil from his mouth and Jiraiya followed it with a Goukakyu. The concentrated ball of flaming oil slammed into the ceiling allowing the toad to burst through, his swords cutting into the rock like a hot knife through butter. As they exploded onto the surface, the toad-summoner gazed in bemusement at the sign that met his eyes.

Most of the Oto-Shinobi were incapacitated, strewn about the ground, their limbs splayed and their tongues lolling from their mouths. The ones that remained conscious were down on their knees, panting and sweating as if they had just been through the hardest battle of their lives.

Jiraiya snorted. Typical Naruto that was. Either he killed someone by mistake, or he scared them to the point of urination; and it seemed that more than one had broken their bladders!

As Jiraiya and his summon leapt well out of range, the adrenaline running through the Sannin's veins began to slow. Suddenly feeling very tired, the six-foot Shinobi flopped onto his behind, sitting Indian-style atop the toad's head.

Damn, that was hard. He didn't know if he could beat Orochimaru if they both went full-out. Maybe if he went sage-mode and had Fukasaku and his wife's backup....then again the old toad couple hated being called upon unless it was absolutely necessary. Ah well, a thought for another day. For now, he had to catch up with his wayward 'student' and get him back to Konoha before he blew up some other part of the World.

But boy! Pranking Orochimaru to the point that he totally flipped out?!

Jiraiya burst into laughter as tears streamed from his eyes, the picture of Orochimaru with a rainbow coloured visage etched into his mind's eye. Gamahiro shifted, his right eye staring at his master as if he was a total lunatic.

"Ahhh, don't look at me like that Ken! I've got a good reason to laugh!"

The battle-toad's head tilted almost imperceptibly to the side.

"Did you see the paint-job on the walls and old 'Rochi-Chan's face?" At the toad's small nod, the Konoha Shinobi grinned.

"One word: Naruto."

Gamahiro almost slipped as he landed, his long tongue flicking out in surprise.

What a story he had for his Sensei. Jiraiya just wished he had had the forethought to get a picture!

XXXXXXXX

Naruto stopped by the edge of the waterfall, pondering on his earlier visit to this very same area. The Valley of the End was such a beautiful, yet chaotic place. The roar of the waterfall pounding the river below it, totally drowned out the gentle swish of the running stream above. The trees on either side rocked back and forth, spreading their leafy boughs over the surface of the stream, the reflection turning green and blue alternatively; a direct contrast to the calm, immense sentinel Oaks that stood further behind the tree line.

But the thing that caught his eye wasn't the power of nature's gifts to this place; rather it was the two statues that stood facing each other; their hard stone eyes set in steely glares directed at the one opposite them. One vaguely resembled the first head of the Hokage Monument back in Konoha and the other....

Naruto had a nagging feeling that he should know who the other one was.

Shaking himself from his reverie, the blond grinned ruefully. What was his purpose now? His excursions in Sound had left him feeling vaguely empty. His thoughts were a tumult of confusion, his earlier motivation all but evaporated. What was he here to do? What was his purpose in life?

Why, why were their people out to kill him?

Naruto crouched down, fisting a handful of sludge from the bank of the fast-flowing river. As his thoughts grew louder, he threw the ball as hard as he could, a scream of frustration, of pain and of sorrow ripping from his throat as the grunge scored a direct hit at the centre of the waterbed.

He couldn't understand himself. Hadn't he sworn to fight? Why then, had he fled without helping Jiraiya? Hadn't he pledged his total wrath on every single person who threatened him, threatened to end his existence?

The visage of a red-headed 9 year-old appeared in front of his eyes, a soft smile creasing his face, looking strangely out of place as if he didn't really smile much.

'_Gaara....'_

He wasn't a mindless killer; that's why he'd helped his friend. But neither could he sit around with the fear of death on his shoulders. He remembered all too well the night of the Uchiha Massacre. He never wanted to experience something like that again.

'_Why the hell am I so confused?!'_

Leaning down, he slammed his head into the ground, the pain stabbing throughout his being like a bullet. Again and again he repeated the motion, a hole beginning to form in the soft, damp mud. The brown, semi-liquid soil mixed with the red of his blood as a wound opened on his forehead. No matter how many times his head was struck, the uncertainty didn't seem to be going away. As he prepared to smash his cranium once more, he froze halfway; his head and neck parallel to the ground.

'_W-What am I doing?'_

Raising his head, a few droplets of blood pattered onto the mud, staining it crimson. He stared at the sky, as the battle raged on within his psyche; the short battle between Jiraiya and Orochimaru playing over-and-over in his head.

'_This is.....the extent of my power...'_

Standing stiffly, he walked robotically to the centre of the flowing river. Making the handseals, he announced his technique.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa."

A furious gust of wind shot from around him, drilling a trench deep into the water, waves whipping up around him.

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu."

An orangey-red fireball erupted from his mouth, steam sizzling into the air as the surface of the river evaporated in the wake of such high temperatures.

"Suiton: Suiryudan."

A humongous water dragon jumped from the centre of the water body before diving back down, another wave of the clear, salty liquid washing over his idle form.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu."

His body was pulled downwards into the river bed, fusing with it until he popped out underwater. Swimming resolutely back up to the surface, he didn't even stop to think about what he was doing as he made the seals for his next technique.

"Raiton: Hibana!"

The shock ripped through his body, his teeth chattering at the current flowing through his blood and out into the water. Dropping to one knee, his clothes smoked and the thinner parts shrivelled up from the intensity of the electricity it had been subjected to.

'_This....this is the extent of my power...'_

He stayed like that for a while, his mind blank at his realisation. The picture of the two Sannin standing proudly against each other as they battled flashed through his mind for a brief moment stronger and clearer than the pain and fatigue throbbing through his soul, once again reminding him of what it meant to be a Shinobi.

What it meant to fight.

Looking up from his position down on one knee, he gazed down towards the waterfall, and for a moment, the faces of the two ex-teammates superimposed the statues forever carved in stone.

'_Confused?!'_ he thought bitterly. '_HAH! Why the hell am I confused?!'_

A wide grin blossomed on his face as the first vestiges of sunlight peeked over the head of what must be the Shodai Hokage. The 9 year old blond tilted his head upward, allowing the golden beams to strike his face, the remaining damp causing his cheeks to sparkle in the early morning sun.

And with the rising of the Sun, a feeling of joy and warmth raced through his veins. Raising his head to the heavens, the sunlight bathing his face in a halo of golden light, the blond laughed exhilaratingly. There was nothing to worry about! There was absolutely nothing to worry about!

He would train to get stronger, just like he had planned. And when the time to fight came, he would fight and he would fight with everything he had. And if he had to kill....

He would kill. Just like what Shisui had been telling him.

He was suddenly struck by a sense of Déjà Vu, almost as if a day extremely similar to this had occurred before. When he was younger, had he made the same decision? Before he had begun learning Shinobi techniques, had he been through a similar experience?

Had he stood at the birth of a new day's sun, questioning himself; questioning his ability to live, his beliefs and all his actions?

In that moment, a sparkle that had died within his eyes a few years ago, reignited. His eyes glowed, orbs of electric blue as the last of his resolve solidified. Pushing away his doubt, his confusion, his anger and his pain, he stood; water droplets trailing down his cheeks as he faced the edge of the waterfall.

In a burst of speed and an explosion of colour, the Konoha prank-master shot off towards the drop, Chakra pulsating from his feet, cleaving the body of liquid in two as he raced forward. He sucked in a deep breath, pulling himself tightly inwards, his soul resonating with the blue energy pulsating throughout his body.

And then he reached the edge.

In a glorious blaze of golden-blue and black, he rocketed into the air above the waterfall, his body soaring forwards, buffeted by the ferocious speed of his movement. With nothing beneath him, gravity began to do its work and he accelerated downwards. With a whoop, the 9 year old fell like a missile, the warmth in his being growing larger as his fight-or-flight instinct took grip.

At the last possible minute, a mere two metres above the surface of the stream below, the blond-haired Jinchuuriki reached back and whipped his Airboard from its harness, placing it firmly at his feet, a torrent of Wind Chakra already revolving around its length. In that moment, the powerful forces acting on his body equalised and he was left suspended above the bottom of the waterfall, spray from the ferocious waterfall soaking him to the bone as it was thrown upwards after hitting the surface at the end of the drop.

_**This**_ is what he lived for. Not to die. Not to give up.

But to live his life how he wanted, so that he was happy and retained these thrilling feelings forever. The faces of the ones he'd call friends cycled through his mind; Shisui, Kakashi, Anko, Jiraiya...

....Sandaime-Jiji and TenTen.

And right there and then he forgave them; forgave them for any wrongs they had done. If they wanted to start over, he'd willingly oblige. He was not an Emo, and he wouldn't act like one.

Propelling himself forwards, he resolutely continued one. Banished were his doubt and his confusion and in their place came an eerie feeling of calm and clarity.

It was time he showed the World the real Uzumaki Naruto.

XXXXXXX

Wave Country was a prosperous place. Nami no Kuni was at the centre of the trade route to three of the biggest countries of the continent, with Konoha to the west, Kiri to the east and Kumo to the north. Its position gave it an elevated status in commerce, with most of the trade between all three countries running through its trade paths. The people of Wave were not rich per se, yet they were well off and had everything they could want.

It was to this environment that the evil businessman, Gato, arrived. Through extended corruption and brute-force, the pudgy kleptomaniac demolished the economic stability of Wave and rebuilt it with him at its centre. Naturally, the residents had revolted, fighting back at the injustices that Gato's money had wrought.

Yet Gato wanted none of it.

And so like any typical thug, he chose to put down the rebellion and all elements at its heart. The population became scared, too frightened to stand up to the man, yet there were a few who continued to plague the evil businessman's path.

Kaiza.

He knew little of the man, only that he was opposing his takeover of the country, planning the construction of a bridge with his famous father-in-law, Tazuna. Kaiza had become a kind of icon for the people, and Gato had heard that the man had once jumped into raging waters to secure a dam on the verge of bursting.

What a foolish endeavour!

And yet, he had succeeded, so naturally the oily-skinned Shorty decided to make an example out of the one who embodied the pride and honour of Wave.

By killing him in front of his very own friends and family.

"This is what will happen when you go against Gato Enterprises!" The rotund, stunted man announced from the speakerphone clutched in his chubby hand.

Smoothing his stretched suit over his belly, the businessman stroked his slight moustache as he gazed smugly at the crowds of people gathered around the execution cage that he had set up.

"This man, Kaiza, will pay for his meddlesome ways with his life! This is the rule of Wave, and if anyone questions it, the same thing will happen to them!"

A small shout of rage and fear sounded from just outside the front line of villagers, and a small boy of 5 or 6 pushed his way to the front. He wore a bucket hat, blue and white stripes circling around the top protrusion, the top thrown back revealing his wide, unbelieving eyes.

"OTOU-SAN!"

Gato grinned. Oh? His family was here too! That would make the execution even more satisfying! Signalling to his Samurai bodyguard to get it over with, he stood back to watch the fireworks.

The Katana rose, the sunlight glinting dangerously off its edge. In slow motion, the population of Wave watched in horror as their hero was about to die. But quite suddenly, the blade simply stopped halfway in its descent.

The executioner stood shocked, his mouth slack as he stared at the sky. Slowly, the spectators began to look up too, pointing at the incoming projectile. To Gato, he had no clue what was going on, but what he did know was that the execution wasn't going ahead.

"I SAID KILL THAT MAN! WHY HAVE YOU STOPPED?! WHAT IS –"

Gato's tirade stopped suddenly as his pudgy ears caught a slight whistling sound. Without any warning, what could only be described as a tree branch, slammed into the miniature man's head, followed by the point of a sword driving through his skull.

Gato died instantly.

Alas, if he had been watching he would have been able to dodge, like the villagers did when another Wakizashi landed amongst them. The objects were quickly followed by a human-shaped lump that slammed heavily into the Samurai holding the sword, throwing the two of them to the ground and bashing into the side of the cage.

All was silent for a minute, the Villagers wondering what the hell just happened whilst Kaiza himself mustered the strength to raise his head at the commotion. The sight that met his eyes would have made him burst out laughing if he could manage it. Unfortunately, he was a bit too beat-up to move just yet.

"Oooh, my head...."

Standing slowly, the lump now identified as a young boy with bright golden-yellow hair took in his surroundings cautiously. He was in a sort of square cage with no roof, so that was how he had got in. What unnerved him though, was a huge crowd of people simply staring at him with wide-eyes.

"Umm....Sorry?"

The crowd stared some more.

Looking down at his feet, he saw the unconscious form of the Samurai he had hit. It seemed that attempting the TSS from the top of a hill was NOT a good idea. The force of gravity changed ever so slightly due to the contour of the earth's surface and that caused the angle to increase drastically. Somehow he'd been shot in the opposite direction he had intended to go in. It also seemed like he'd lost his Ryu-Zashi.

"Erm, anyone seen two Wakizashi? They got blue dragons on the side...."

Still no answer.

"W-Who are you?"

The question came from a short, teary-eyed boy. He looked a bit like a snot-nosed brat to Naruto, with typical features. Black eyes, black, straight-cut hair. The only thing going for him was his hat, and in Naruto's opinion it was a bit gay!

"Uzumaki Naruto! You seen my swords?"

The boy pointed and Naruto turned to see one of the pair sticking out of the head of a short, oily-fat, suit-clad man.

"OH MY GOD! DID I KILL HIM?! PLEASE SAY I DIDN'T! MISTER YOU OK? H-HEY MISTER!"

Naruto sprinted over to the downed body. There was no hope; the guy was most definitely dead. Intense dread settled over the blond's mind. How could this have happened?!

But then the crowd began to cheer.

Turning back to the large group of spectators, he took in the looks of absolute joy and respect that the people of Wave were directing at him. And in true Naruto fashion, he only had one thing to say.

"Huh?"

Suddenly a large group of men from outside the enclosure scaled the sides and pounced on the remaining Samurai, wrestling them to the ground whilst they still stood looking on in shock. The Konoha resident didn't know what to make of the situation, but slowly his mind began piecing the events together. A tanned-skinned, brawny man stepped forward, Naruto's second Wakizashi clasped in his fist. With one swift slash, he severed the ropes tying the person that appeared to be the subject of all the commotion from the pole he was secured to.

The guy was moderately tall, a white length of rope tied to his forehead like a bandanna, the knot and ends pushed to his right temple. His most striking feature was a cross-shaped scar carved into centre of his chin, an obvious sign from battle or some other dangerous endeavour. His black, spiky hair was slicked to his head with sweat, matted with dark-red dried blood. The state in which his body remained was the final part to the puzzle for the young blond; it seemed that this man was to be executed, and in a turn of incredible luck, Naruto had arrived just in time to prevent it, although 'arriving in time' might be stretching it a bit.

The villagers began crowding around Naruto, questions flying from every next person. The shock and dismay must have shown on his whiskered face as the elder man who had cut the 'convict' down pushed his way through to stand in front of him. His face was creased heavily with wrinkles, a pair of glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose.

"Name's Tazuna, kid. What's yours?"

Grinning widely, the man extended a worn hand from his side. Grasping it in a loose handshake, the Uzumaki heir smiled hesitantly.

"U-Uzumaki Naruto. Umm, what's going on here exactly?"

The man's grin widened even more, his dark grey eyes sparkling in amusement. Naruto noticed that he still hadn't let go of his hand.

"Heh, Gaki, you won't believe what you just did! You've practically saved an entire country!"

Stopping, the elder male pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.

"Where the heck did ya' come from though? That was one super entrance if ya' ask me!"

Naruto chuckled nervously. Turning he pointed to the tree line to the West.

"Err, see I was practising this stunt thingy....and um – it kinda went wrong?"

All of the gathered villagers sweat-dropped heavily. What the hell kind of hero was that?! Tazuna handed his second Wakizashi to the blond. Naruto spun both blades expertly before sheathing them smoothly. Tazuna's eyes widened at the amount of skill displayed by one so young.

"You some kinda ninja or something?"

Naruto chuckled nervously again.

"Ehehe....somethin' like that."

Tazuna nodded slowly.

"Well brat, I gotta hand it to ya'. You just saved my daughter's husband from dying because he opposed that slime, Gato."

Naruto looked back at the short, fat businessman with the hole in his head. Slowly, it dawned on him what this guy was trying to tell him.

"Wait...so that guy.....was evil?"

Tazuna laughed heartily, as did the crowd around them.

"Quite simply, yeah! He was a tyrant, messin' with our trade and business. We wanted to build a bridge to the mainland ya' know, and this chump comes along an' starts harassin' us with his henchmen."

"Wait, so I'm not in trouble or anything?"

Tazuna threw his head back and roared in mirth.

"Kami no, kiddo! You're the hero of Wave!"

Naruto stared blankly at the older man.

"Huh?"

"Ahhh, don't look at me like that ya' super gaki! Come, let's get ya' to my home and we can chat all ya' want."

Naruto's Airboard was thrust into his hands as the crowd began herding him back towards the large village a few miles in the distance. Tazuna's beefy hand was securely holding his shoulder and the blond wondered when the tanned man had let go of his hand and placed it there.

"NARUTO! NARUTO! NARUTO!"

The boy in question sweat-dropped. He actually killed someone by mistake and now he was being treated as the next best thing to Ramen.

And they called him crazy.

Well, maybe he was, but there were others just as crazy, if not more so than him. Placing clasped hands behind his head, he grinned lightly, the warmth in his heart growing stronger than ever before. He could get used to this feeling.

He just wished his life could always be like this.

ZZZZZZ

And CUT!

Hope you guys liked this one better than the last. I really hope the review number shoots up again as I need the input to keep going.

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I'LL BE REALLY GREATFUL!

MegaB


	22. Chapter 22

Good evening and welcome to the latest instalment of Konoha: Naruto's Playground! This is going to be a LONG Author's note, so if you can't be bothered to read it, I guess you should just skip ahead to the Zs line, eh?

Random thought: Is it just me, or was the Kakuzu and Hidan arc just so INCREDIBLY AWESOME IN THE ANIME?!

Anyway, first off I want to thank EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER! We hit the 50+ review milestone for a single chapter after the abysmal 22 of chapter 20! I was so chuffed! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Secondly, many people realised that Chapter 21 was really a continuation of Chapter 20, however after deliberate consideration I have decided not to merge the two due to the flow becoming disrupted. If you have any other questions do not hesitate to let me know! I promise to read and consider every single suggestion I get!

With that, we go to the Review Highlights for Chapter 21. The highlights go to (deep breath!): SuperN-Gaspard, Mistical Kat, knuckz, Memory King, ^^*, anothvortex, innocently confused, Get-Lost and criko. To all of you that reviewed as signed, thank you very much and I hope my answers were up to scratch! Many of you raised highly important points, especially Memory King and Mistical Kat; I wonder if you can guess exactly how I'm going to end this? ;D

To those of you who reviewed unsigned; trust me I read every single one of your reviews and I enjoyed them. It makes me really sad that I can't respond to them unless I put the answers at the beginning of the chapter, but that would cause my A/N to get too big!

Also a big thank you to luckykas; I couldn't reply to your review due to obvious reasons, but I can say that you will find out the answers to all your questions as we continue. Thank you for the review, and I'm glad you find it as deep and original as you stated!

To SuperN-Gaspard and The False One-Winged Angel, Thank you so much once again for correcting my mistakes! I really do appreciate it and I hope it shows that I am improving as I continue; much of it is due to you two catching me on all those niggling mistakes!

And a final note on the reviews; one of my most loyal readers by the name Midnight-light-63559, has informed me that he/she will be unable to read my story chapter-by-chapter any longer due to an increasing school workload. My regards go out to you and everyone in the same boat and I hope that you do extremely well in your studies! Your reviews are one of a kind and I confess that I will miss the excited replies I used to receive from you!

As for the story highlight; this instalment's goes to Shadow Rebirth's 'Failing Twilight'. It's actually quite similar to my story in a few regards, but I won't ruin it for you. I highly recommend giving it a read and perhaps mention me in a review to him? ;D

Anyway, my longest Author's Note now over, we can move on to the real chapter! So here you go guys! We have two guests today....

ZZZZZZZZ

Three days of festivities and a whole load of food later, Naruto felt like he was fit to burst. His small tummy was swelled all day long due to the food forced on him by his current hosts; Kaiza and his wife Tsunami. Having stayed in the family home in the time he had been in Wave, he found himself opening up more and more to the kind family who accepted him with open arms. He didn't know what caused this feeling of warmth to blossom in his soul, but he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way.

Somehow his mindset and personality had changed drastically from his experiences. His encounter with Orochimaru and his subsequent confusion had brought something to the forefront of his psyche that seemed to brighten up the world around him. Looking back on his past endeavours, he found that his experiences before his excursions in Oto were all dull and lifeless. When he laughed back then, it seemed so hollow.

'_Does that mean that I should stop pulling pranks on people?'_ The 9 year old blond thought.

'NAH!' The Konoha Jinchuuriki broke out into a wide grin, so startlingly bright and mischievous that Kaiza and his son, Inari, boggled at him, their eyes wide in innocent curiosity.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, the blond waved a hand in front of his face.

"N-NOTHING! Ehehe...."

His laughter came out a tad bit more diabolical than he realised, as father and son turned to each other and shrugged. Obviously Naruto wasn't entirely sane, and at that thought the family of four burst out into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! Brat I can't believe I actually thought you were sane! Anybody who would intentionally piss off one of the most powerful Nuke-nin in the world and then proceed to brain a megalomaniac with a flying sword.....AND ALL THAT BY MISTAKE!......"

Tazuna fell off his chair, his beer belly rumbling with good-natured mirth as he struggled to retain some semblance of respect. Tsunami glanced at her father in mock disappointment and Naruto sighed in content.

Was this what a real family felt like? Would it always be this warm and comfortable if his parents were there and living with him? Naruto immediately squashed his thoughts; there was no way he would ruin the good mood by falling into depression, besides, he had all but banished his problems at the Valley of the End. Tilting his head he pondered on that stray thought.

'_What a fitting name for the place.'_

"So Naruto, what do you plan on doing once you leave Wave?"

Naruto looked startled for a moment as his mind caught up with the question Kaiza had asked. The Patriarch's voice was light and filled with a certain emotion that the 9 year old couldn't quite identify. He did know that it made him feel nice....._**loved **_even. Yet as he finally comprehended the man's question, he remembered that he had to leave.

He had to find out what had happened to Jiraiya and if his 'pseudo-Sensei' had been hurt by Orochimaru, he was going right back to Sound and wreaking the worst hell he could think up on the pale-faced, snake man and his cronies.

"Heh, well I gotta look for my....my friend, I guess."

If the family had any questions as to why he paused, they didn't ask them. Naruto loved this family; they truly respected and accommodated him, even when they had no obligation to do so.

"Naruto-niisan! Will you teach me that Trampoline thingy?"

The blond grinned at that.

"Of course Inari! But first you have to get your throwing skills up. To pull it off you have to be able to throw an object as fast as ya' can! Understood?"

The black-haired boy nodded enthusiastically.

"Good! I'll leave the instructions with your dad, so you can both try it out when you're ready, ok?"

Again, Inari nodded.

The Uzumaki heir pushed his seat back from the oak 6-seater table the family was currently situated around.

"Well, I gotta be off then! It was great sticking with you guys! I really liked it!"

The family immediately stiffened at the blonde's words. It seemed he was already taking his leave. The small 9 year old was suddenly enveloped in a warm hug and Naruto froze in surprise as the pink fabric of Tsunami's Kimono covered his face.

"It is we that should be thanking you, Naruto-chan! You will always be welcome here, make sure you remember that."

Naruto, thought he heard a small sniff from the young woman, and he felt tears stinging at the corner of his eyes at her words.

"I will Tsunami-san."

After a moment longer, Inari's mother released him, stepping back to peer through watery eyes at her guest. He was such a nice boy; intelligent, head-strong and most of all polite. She hoped that Inari would grow up just like him, for she knew without a doubt that the pre-teen in front of her would become someone very important in the future.

Naruto smiled softly at the woman who treated him like a son. He didn't know what it felt like; what was his response meant to be? Should he step forward and hug her? Should he just smile and wave? Or was there something else that he should do in this situation?

His smile faltered at his thoughts. What did it really feel like to have a family?

His reverie was broken as a brawny arm descended on his shoulders. He tilted his head to the side to find a positively beaming Kaiza staring him in the eye with a knowing gleam in his gaze.

"Hey kid, have fun out there for us, 'kay? Me an' Inari'll hold the fort until whenever it is you can come visit again!"

Kaiza's grip tightened slightly before he slipped his arm from the blonde's shoulder. Naruto plodded uncertainly to the front door of the house. Pausing briefly, he turned and raised his hand in a solitary gesture of farewell.

"Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much."

He didn't look back.

XXXXXXXXX

Jiraiya of the Sannin made good time as he tracked Naruto to Nami no Kuni. The route the young Jinchuuriki had taken was a wild one; he had gone completely off track and the elite Shinobi was forced to use Kage Bunshin to scour around for the next clue due to the kid flying on his damned Airboard most of the day. Once he found a lead he would pick up the pace once again, yet he quickly discovered that his 9 year old 'protégé' was heading towards Wave Country so he could disregard the tracks unless he didn't run into any sign for a while.

What Naruto was doing in Wave though, was a question the Gama-Sennin could not fathom. Wave was an out-of-the-way, small and disconnected island that didn't hold any sort of shine for the Shinobi population. Sure they sometimes had to do missions there, but other than that you would be hard-pressed to find a Shinobi in Wave Country.

Was he just moving about on a whim? Was that how he ended up in Oto too?

If that was the case, it seemed the Uzumaki heir needed to be taught a tough lesson on carelessness. Roaming around without a care in the world was the fastest way to get yourself killed these days and it seemed that Naruto had no idea what kind of trouble he was stirring up with his lackadaisical actions.

As he dashed over the length of a wide river, the Konoha spymaster's eyes shifted to the right, searching for something that he could not see. Those two ninja had been following him for a while now, but they definitely weren't from Sound, that was for sure. They had come from the South, the direction in which Tea Country lay, and yet they had adjusted their direction a short while after Jiraiya had detected them. That had been about ten minutes ago, and it was only now that the toad-summoner realised why they had done what they did.

A brief Chakra flicker reached the Konoha ninja, and he would have missed it if he hadn't been concentrating. Jiraiya leapt from the river bank into the cover of the opposite foliage, sprinting flat-out towards Nami no Kuni. The main body of water separating the Shinobi continent with Wave was only a short distance ahead. He had to reach there before Naruto could get stuck in another mess even bigger than the one he created in Orochimaru's underground Village.

'_Four....maybe five.'_

They were ANBU and they were most definitely the best whichever country had sent them had to offer. With any luck, it would be a Konoha team on a mission but Jiraiya wasn't getting his hopes up.

Jumping from the limb of the last tree, the green and red-clad ninja spared a brief glance back to see if he could spot his two pursuers. He was so focused on the people behind him that he completely forgot about anything in front of him.

"CRACK!"

Jiraiya reeled in mid-air before he plummeted through the surface of the ocean. Sputtering in indignation and due to the large amount of sea water he had swallowed, the six-foot Shinobi glared at his impromptu obstacle.

"I-ta-ta-ta-ta-tai! What the –

WHAT THE HELL?! ERO-SENNIN?!"

Said ninja sighed heavily. Just typical.

Why was it, that he always encountered Naruto in the most........'collision-esque' sort of ways?

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Pulling himself to his feet, the blond raised a shaky finger whilst massaging his right temple with the other hand.

"HEY! I could ask you that too!"

Jiraiya shook his head at Minato's son's childishness. Honestly, he'd go through a life and death situation, his head screwed on backwards with his antics and laughter rocking his entire body and yet he'd still come out as if he was the only one in the world to do so.

Mind you, he probably was, but that wasn't the point.

"Umm...so you're alive huh...."

Jiraiya puffed out his chest proudly.

"OF course I am you brainless brat! How could the great Toad Sage, Jiraiya of the Sannin, fall to one as lowly as 'Rochi-chan?!"

Naruto grinned.

"Great!"

A feeling of intense dread flooded the elder Shinobi. Naruto had....chirped his answer like a Robin Red-Breast. The image was quite disturbing and the Konoha Spymaster didn't trust the overt enthusiasm his liege was exuding.

"Heh, Ero-Sennin, are you bein' chased or something? Can't you feel all those people coming towards us?"

Jiraiya stiffened as the first two signatures passed right under his feet. So they took to underwater did they? For what reason were they following him then?

Jiraiya flew through the seals for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu before placing his right hand flat on the surface of the water. Not waiting to see which toads turned up, he turned and ran as fast as he could in the direction he felt the two were moving.

"GAMAKEN, GAMAHIRO, HELP NARUTO OUT!"

Naruto coughed as the smoke began to clear. Just what the hell was going on here? He'd only been out of Wave a few hours and already things were blowing up around him. And now Jiraiya had left too! Naruto was definitely getting him back for this one; that's twice he'd shunted him to the side without a care for his feelings.

"So you are Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto turned as a scratchy, deep baritone reached his ears. Sitting on their haunches beside each other, were two of the biggest toads Naruto had ever seen. The one on the right was maroon in colour, a large dark-grey, circular tattoo inked from just below his eyes to his chin. Bright yellow eyes shone from under curved, horn-like eyebrows, a large spiked fork held in one hand and a shield in the other. To his side stood another large toad, this one looking more regular than the one beside him. Two sword hilts could be seen poking over both of his shoulders as he regarded the 9 year old in front of him.

"It seems, young Naruto, that we have no time to talk. It will be a pleasure fighting alongside you."

Both toads sprang diagonally forwards, causing the three to surround the lone Shinobi who landed in their midst. The ninja was tall and striking, a mask of bandages wrapped around his mouth and neck. What stuck out to the two toads and boy surrounding him was the tilted Mist headband tied to his head and the giant Zanbatou resting on his back. The man didn't even look fazed at the two large toads flanking him; he simply turned around to stare at the trees from whence he had appeared.

"....HEY YOU! WHY YOU FOLLOWIN' ERO-SENNIN?!"

Naruto caught a glimpse of a flashing grey eye, before a dense cloud of Mist descended on all four of them.

"Momochi Zabuza. By order of the Mizukage, you are hereby sentenced to death along with your accomplices."

Naruto's mouth fell open in shock. _Accomplices?! _He didn't even know the guy, he'd just dropped out of nowhere and now they were going to try and kill him?!

"NARUTO! BEHIND YOU!"

The blond-haired Jinchuuriki didn't have time to work out which toad had warned him before he was forced to jump to the side, a Kunai whistling by his cheek. That was a narrow miss; it seemed like these guys weren't pulling any punches.

Growling, the blond felt his chest tighten with his resolve, his mind echoing with the sentiments raised from the ashes of his experiences. It was like the flip of a switch on a timeless nuclear bomb; one moment he was standing, wondering what the hell was going on, and the next the whole world was zipping by as he raced through the fog, a Rasengan spinning in his hand.

Skipping sideways, he avoided a thrown Shuriken that whizzed by his right leg, drilling into the water below. In a surprising show of ability, Naruto sprang backwards in a back-flip, his Rasengan creating a vortex of water under him as it met the surface of the ocean. The Kiri hunter-nin, and Naruto finally recognised his attackers for what they were by the four lines etched into the mask of his opponent, landed right on the vortex created by the blonde's technique and for just a moment, he faltered.

In that brief moment, a water dragon slammed into the Kiri-nin, blowing him clear of the water. That was one down.

Suddenly, the mist began to clear, and the Konoha civilian stared around in surprise. The missing-nin, denoted by his slashed Mist headband, stood at the edge of the bank, his eyes vacantly staring at the sky above. Naruto managed to pick out the glint of a lone Shuriken lodged into the base of his skull before he was surrounded by four hunter-nin.

"Keh, Mizu-Bunshin."

Naruto stared in shock as the words of what must be the leader of the small group as the missing-nin burst into a small torrent of water.

Damn! It was a clone, and now they thought he was some sort of ally to the guy?! These were ANBU, and there were four of them; Naruto wasn't stupid enough to believe that he could take even one of them on his own in a straight fight. These Shinobi could probably give Orochimaru or Jiraiya a hard fight.

"W-Wait! You have it all wrong! I'm not-"

The Shinobi who had spoken earlier raised a gloved hand signalling with two fingers before cocking them to the side. Immediately two of his underlings disappeared, and Naruto realised that they had been ordered after his two toad helpers.

With another signal, he and his comrade rushed forward, a swarm of Senbon already flying towards their blond-headed target.

Naruto flopped backwards quickly, only just avoiding the dangerous needles. They were extremely hard to spot as they flew over the water; the reflection of the ocean caused them to blend in with their surroundings so Naruto was forced to rely mainly on instinct.

Rolling onto his stomach, he dodged a Suiryudan as it plunged into the surface below his feet, the water frothing and tumbling at the force of the Jutsu. Naruto flew through the seals of the Goukakyu as he jumped back, crouching down he blew out the orange monstrosity as the heat reached its peak in his gut.

As the royal ball of fire roared towards his opponents, the young Jichuuriki quickly reached back and grasping the hilt of one of his Ryu-Zashi, whipping it out in front of him before rearing back and hurling it through the centre of the Goukakyu. As the blade sliced cleanly through the technique, the Wind Chakra pushing the Wakizashi mixed with the flames, stoking them to higher and more dangerous temperatures. It was a deadly attack; if the two Kiri-nin managed to dodge his blade, they would find themselves in the midst of a molten inferno.

A large explosion erupted as the ball of fire struck its target, hot air whipping around his form as he stood solidly among the furious waters. Scattered waves battered his body as he stared resolutely at the area engulfed in steam and smoke, the two gases curling around each other like a pair of black and grey snakes. Naruto shivered as the picture of Orochimaru sprang into his mind; THAT was definitely not a good memory!

His eyes widened as he was forced to draw his second blade, first to block three Senbon, before spinning on his heel and clashing it with the Kunai being driven for his heart. The leader of the hunter-nin stood right in front of him, his leering mask mocking the 9 year old as he struggled against the superior strength of the man in front of him.

A deft clash of metal was heard before two forms were thrown high into the air. Gamaken and Gamahiro landed on either side of Naruto, staring up at their defeated opponents, Chakra brimming over their weapons.

"Tch, weaklings. Nighty, night, Momochi's brat!"

In a flurry of movement, things occurred too fast for Naruto to comprehend as his hold on his Ryu-Zashi was totally overpowered by the Shinobi in front of him. Without any apparent explanation, the man slumped over sideways, his body slipping beneath the surface of the water with blood trailing from the nape of his neck. Naruto stared down at the sinking body with wide eyes; the hunter-nin's mask had detached in the water and floated face up to the surface beside Naruto's foot, a single Senbon buried deep into the ceramic coloured black in the shape of an eye.

Raising his head slowly, his arm trembling from the force it had so suddenly been released from, the Konoha Jinchuuriki took in the crouched form of the last hunter-nin; his hair held in a bun at the back of his head by two long, green hairpins. His olive skirt swished slightly as the water moved, a small portion held beneath the surface of the ocean. Slowly, the hunter-nin stood, turning to the side as he reigned in his Chakra.

"I deeply apologise for involving you in our problems. If it was my decision, I never would have allowed this to happen, yet unfortunately it was not."

The voice was smooth and high, and Naruto thought it could only belong to a woman. The blond simply stood, his mind unable to construct the events as they should have been. He still had no idea what was going on.

"As you probably know, I am not one of the Oi-nin. I infiltrated their ranks in order to subdue them at the first opportunity. The clone you saw earlier was of my master; he went on ahead with a clone of me. We followed a large Chakra signature in order to stall the ninja chasing us. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded dumbly. So the two Shinobi who Jiraiya had gone after; one was a Bunshin of some sort, and the other was the real Momochi Zabuza. That meant that this guy had been hiding in the Kiri Shinobi's ranks for quite a while, long enough for them to consider him an ally.

"I had no intention of allowing them to hurt you, as I said; I only wanted to delay them from catching up to Zabuza-Sama. I deeply apologise for any sort of pain this has caused you."

Naruto finally found himself able to speak, and so he asked the first thing that came to mind.

"W-What's your name?"

The Shinobi in front of him reached up and slipped his mask from his face. With grace and gentleness, belying his true nature, the boy...no, _**girl**_, pulled the ceramic object away from her cheeks.

Naruto was confronted with smooth, pale skin, chocolate brown eyes and a smile that made his worries melt. How could such a ruthless killer look like that?!

"My name is Haku –"

With a large splash, Jiraiya landed next to Gamaken, another toad throwing a large wave of water of them. The toad burped loudly before stretching its maw wide and depositing a dripping Momochi Zabuza, sword and all, onto the bank of the body of water.

"Z-Zabuza-Sama! _What did you do to him?!_"

The girl rounded on Jiraiya, the question uttered in a low hiss, deadly and dangerous like the polished edge of a sword. Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine at the venom oozing from the girl's question. She must really love the man if she would go to such lengths to protect him.

Jiraiya gazed at the cream-skinned girl for a moment before turning to the drenched form of his 'student'.

"You handled yourself well there, Naruto. How many did you take out?"

The girl snarled in anger as her face twisted at the blatant spurning of her question.

"I only got one. The two toads got those two," he said pointing to the two unconscious forms floating on either side of them. "That girl took out the leader, seems like she was hiding amongst them."

Jiraiya turned back to face Haku, his right eyebrow raised in innocent curiousity.

"Oh? She must be quite the Kunoichi then, if she was able to do that for so long!"

Said girl schooled her features quickly, her face becoming stony and closed at the attention of the master Shinobi. Jiraiya chuckled lightly at the antics of the girl.

"Don't worry missy, I didn't hurt him, he's just unconscious."

The girl visibly relaxed as she blew out a breath she probably didn't know she had been holding. Naruto caught a faint "thank goodness" as the girl placed her mask in a utility pouch strapped to her right hip.

"Errr...Haku-san, what are you doing here?"

The bun-haired ninja strode forward lightly, only to be blocked by Jiraiya's arm.

"As I said, we were escaping from the Kiri Oi-nin and I do believe this is your sword?"

Jiraiya and Naruto exchanged a perplexed glance as Naruto grasped the proffered blade, shaking a slight layer of ice from the handle. Had the water been that cold? Surely the ice would have melted after going through his Goukakyu? Amazing still was the fact that the girl had apparently caught his blade at the speed and temperature it had been travelling at.

"I think what Naruto meant was why."

Haku smiled softly at learning the boy's name. He was an interesting one, his skills were quite a show and he was more than capable of protecting himself. If he was honest with himself, he didn't know who was stronger out of him and this Naruto.

"Our reasons are our own. Please do not pry into our business. As I said, we apologise deeply for dragging you into this situation."

Jiraiya quirked another eyebrow before shrugging. Stepping back, he lowered his arm and nodded to the girl. Haku hurried to her master's side, she checked his pulse to confirm that he was alive before lifting one of his arms behind her neck.

"And by the way, I'm a boy."

Both Naruto and Jiraiya's jaws dropped open as Haku disappeared with Zabuza draped over his shoulder.

"H-h-h-h-.....s-she was...I mean h-he –"

"Forget it brat! You don't want to fry your brain do ya'?!"

Naruto clammed up immediately, his mind still stuck on the fact the girl wasn't actually a girl, but was really a boy.

"Gamaken, Gamahiro, Gamabougu, thank you for your help. You're free to go when you want."

Two of the toads saluted and disappeared twin clouds of smoke, yet Gamaken remained, his eyes scrutinising the young blond who was yet to recover from his shock.

"He is Namikaze, is he not Jiraiya-kun?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened. He spun, glaring at the toad with a frigid gaze.

"Shut-up! Don't say anything in front of him!"

The maroon toad stared hard at his summoner for a short moment before nodding slowly.

"As you wish."

The huge battle toad disappeared back to his family as he cancelled his link with the living world. Jiraiya huffed in annoyance; that had been close. If Naruto had been listening everything would have come crashing down once again, and it seemed as if the young Uzumaki was finally out of his funk. He didn't want the boy to disintegrate back to his moody, depressed emotions that looked to have disappeared for good.

Sighing disparagingly, the Gama-Sennin placed his hand on the 9 year old's shoulder.

"Come on brat, let's head back to Konoha."

Naruto raised his head slowly and Jiraiya was taken aback by the glow of enthusiasm shining in the blonde's eyes.

"Yeah...hehehehe...let's go back..."

Shrugging again, Jiraiya turned and leapt into the trees, Naruto following quickly behind. They set a fast pace, uncaring whether anyone would spot, or recognise them. Jiraiya knew that three of the Kiri-nin were still alive, yet at this point not one of them knew that Naruto was from Konoha, and he hadn't stayed around long enough for them to see him. They were safe from Kiri, at least politically, although he couldn't say the same thing about three maybe four other countries. Jiraiya turned to stare at the brat as he suddenly cried out in surprise.

"HEY! WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY 'FRY MY BRAIN'?!"

Jiraiya blanched. Aw, dammit! The brat caught on!

With a screech of terror Jiraiya bolted off at full speed, Naruto following as fast as he could, throwing every Jutsu he knew at the object of his ire. If anyone beheld the sight, they would forever wonder how the two were able to keep up the speed without knowing it. The sight of a grinning blond with lightning sparking around his raised index finger, illuminating his eyes in a spark of electric blue and a fireball flying in front of him, would be forever etched in their minds.

Uzumaki Naruto was returning to Konoha.

ZZZZZZZZ

Chapter notes:

Oi-nin, pronounced Oh-ee-nin: Means 'hunter-nin' in Japanese.

Ryu-Zashi: If you hadn't figured it out by now, that's the name given to Naruto's pair of Wakizashi; 'Ryu' for the blue dragon depicted on them and 'Zashi' for obvious reasons.

Gamabougu: Yeah, yeah, I made it up! If anyone knows the name of the first toad Jiraiya summoned who kept the summoning scroll, do tell and I'll change it!

Gender changes for Haku: The way he is depicted is based on Naruto's assumptions. First he thinks Haku is a male ninja, then he thinks he is actually a 'she' and then he's told that no, she is actually a 'he'. That doesn't count for when I switch to Haku's POV though; he regards himself as a boy AND I'M NOT GETTING INTO AN ARGUMENT OVER GENDER HERE! Haku will only have a passing role in the story so the point is moot.

--------

And CUT! Chapter 22 all wrapped up and tied with a ribbon! Hope everyone liked it, and this signals the end of the filler chapters and the official end of the first half of the story. Now there will be a timeskip soon, I'm not going to bother going into detail about Naruto's training when he's back in Konoha. I might include some flashbacks, but that's about it. And for those of you that are thinking it, no TenTen is not going to become his friend again just yet. It's still going to take a while, but that will be explained as we go along.

To all those who reviewed, once again a very big thank you. Let's try to reach the 50+ mark again everyone!

Regards,

MegaB


	23. Chapter 23

Yo all! Welcome to 'the Interlude' of K:NP! (I've realised that updating on weekdays is a bad thing for reviews lol....)

Anyway, I want to be quick today so here goes:

Review Highlights go to Lord Grond for his 'GREAT CHAPTER!' for every single chapter he reviewed (lol that made me laugh!), Johnny boy for asking if TenTen had 'genie jet' yet (WTH?!), Shayandra for a really motivational review (and for saying that my descriptions were really clear and beautiful *cries in happiness!*) and Vilkath for pointing out that I was putting in too much filler.

Thanks again to everyone else who reviewed; I love all your reviews and I promise to reply to every single one that is signed!

Fanfic Highlight goes to Baal of Yaarn's 'Senju Naruto'. It is one of the most well-written and entertaining piece of creative writing on this site and that's coming from a quality freak like me lol! I've been in contact with Baal recently and she assured me that although she had some problems, she has six chapters ready and waiting to be posted and she is raring to get back into the swing of things. Seriously, go read it and say 'hi' to her from me! XP

That over we get to the next chapter of K:NP! I BET EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR THIS:

**INTERLUDE: THE RETURN**

ZZZZZZZ

Two figures landed lightly just outside the gates of Konohagakure no Sato. One was tall with a shock of bleached-white hair extending from his head to mid-back and the other was almost half the first's size with bright golden, spiky locks. The short one turned to his companion and in a quick movement of the arm and a puff of smoke, deposited an object into his outstretched hand. After resetting his clothes to a more acceptable manner, he grinned, gave a short wave and then disappeared in a burst of speed. The larger of the two pocketed the object smoothly before sighing and rubbing his wrinkled forehead in an obvious show of agitation. Regaining his previous nonchalance, he then strode through the massive gates to the Hidden Village of the Leaves.

To Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, the two recently promoted Chuunin gatekeepers, they had no idea just how important those events were. Not only were they about to witness the largest scale 'non-violent' upheaval of their beloved village, but also Konoha would become a lot more interesting for gossip-mongers like them. Both recognised the taller Shinobi though; Jiraiya of the Sannin was a legend all over the world and a point of pride for anyone within Fire Country. They immediately stood to attention as the powerful ninja approached them, a full blown smile creasing his face as he glanced over the young Chuunin.

"Hey guys, I just got back. Mind writing up the interns? I gotta see Sarutobi-Sensei right away."

Kotetsu elbowed Izumo in the gut to stop his friend from shaking in the presence of such a powerful figure.

"H-HAI! JIRAIYA-SAMA!"

Jiraiya's smile only grew wider, and Kotetsu began to wonder just how far his mouth could stretch.

'Heh, they're so nervous it's like a toad on salt water!'

"Chill, chill! I don't bite!"

Izumo relaxed slightly at the light-hearted tone with which the Shinobi spoke. Pulling a check-in report sheet from the wooden cabin the pair were sitting in, he hastily grabbed a pen from the desk and began scribbling the details as fast as he could.

"If I may ask Jiraiya-Sama, who was your companion? And how did the mission go?"

Jiraiya nodded in acceptance to the question, his eyes becoming serious as he glanced up at the clouds.

"I'll be making my full report directly to the Sandaime so don't worry about it. The kid with me is safe; that was Uzumaki Naruto."

Both Chuunin's eyes widened in shock.

"U-Uzumaki is back?!"

Jiraiya glanced bemusedly at Izumo. The young ninja had mid-length, black hair reaching down to his neck, one side of which was pulled over the right side of his face totally covering his eye. He wore a blue, bandanna-style hitai-ate that seemed to be a fashion these days.

"Yeah, he's back. And we should be hearing the fireworks just about.......now."

A large explosion rocked the ground and without any warning, every single piece of paper simply rose into the air, coalescing into the biggest paper-ball anyone had ever seen.

"W-What the –"

The white sheets were being pulled from all over the village; none were spared that were lying loosely outside including the report sheet held in Izumo's hand. A figure zoomed from the West side of the sky, apparently flying on a branch from a tree.

"That's him, isn't it?"

Jiraiya smirked at the foreboding tone with which Kotetsu spoke. The black, wild-haired Chuunin with a bandage wrapped around his head, covering his nose had gone very pale as he stared in shock at the monstrosity above. They watched in a daze as the bright-haired 10 year old stopped right beside the ball of paper; he threw some kind of powder onto the top before performing a few hand-seals. A small stream of water spewed from his mouth, drenching the paper through, but that didn't hold their attention for long.

What did, was the thick layer of rainbow-coloured gloop dripping from the top, and as they realised just what was about to happen, the two Chuunin cried out in shock.

"He won't..."

"Actually, I think he will!"

"He wouldn't dare!"

Jiraiya sweat-dropped at the banter between the two friends. They did know who they were talking about didn't they?

Naruto released his hold on the ball of paper, loose leafs not caught in the huge orb fluttering down with the wind scattering them all over the village.

And then it fell.

Jiraiya began to laugh, his deep, throaty chuckles only scaring the gatekeepers that much more. The Gama-Sennin delved into his pocket and pulled out a jet black camera that looked old and worn.

"Well guys, see ya' later. I gotta catch this stuff on film! After Iwa and Kumo, this should be a riot too! Man Sarutobi's gonna love those other pictures of the Tsuchikage after Naruto was through with him!"

The elite Shinobi fazed out of existence in an expert use of the Shunshin no Jutsu. Izumo and Kotetsu looked at each other in bewilderment.

"D-Did he just say.....Tsuchikage?!"

Kotetsu nodded uncertainly.

Glancing up at the descending ball of doom, both Chuunin stopped and glanced at each other once again. Turning, they both jumped back into their cabin and hid under the counter.

There was no way in hell they were going to allow that to hit them! They shuddered next to each other when they heard a loud, child's voice scream into the sky.

"I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

XXXXXXX

Sarutobi just stared.

That's all he could do. First he was awoken in the early morning to a storm of paper whirling around in the sky like there was an invisible and extremely localised cyclone at the centre of the Village, then the entire Hokage tower was paint-bombed in a myriad of colours that reminded him oddly of Hatake Kakashi AND THEN he's told by his student that not only did Konoha's pariah bring Iwa and Kumo to their knees in puddles of tears, but also he had devastated Orochimaru's new Village and come out alive.

And now Jiraiya tells him that Minato's son had saved an entire Village by mistake.

"Er...Earth to Sensei?"

Sarutobi sat at his desk, multi-coloured paint dripping down the outside of his windows, his mouth slack, his pipe hanging loosely from his teeth and his eyes vacant.

It seems Naruto had that effect on a lot of people.

The only movement the venerable Hokage made was to work his jaw slightly, causing his smoking pipe to fall from his mouth and land on the surface of his polished mahogany desk with a clatter. Still, he made no movement or indication that he realised what had happened, or even heard the noise that his pipe had made.

"Err, Sensei, I understand your shock and all, but don't you want to see all these photographs? I had them developed after he pulled that stunt this morning."

Sarutobi's head whipped up when he heard the word 'photographs', his hand stretching out in-front of him moving in a 'give me' gesture.

Jiraiya sweat-dropped heavily; Sarutobi-Sensei was totally out of it.

Handing the small palm-sized photos to the elder Shinobi, the Gama-Sennin sat back and riveted his gaze on his ex-teacher's face. This was going to be too hilarious. Luckily he had Naruto's camera with him still so he could get a picture of the moment he saw that one....

Sarutobi's hands shook as he held the photos. After a few minutes staring in complete and utter shock at the horrified look on the face of a completely redecorated Tsuchikage's face, he hesitantly reached up and plucked the next one from the pack.

And almost had a heart attack.

Staring at him with a look of such intense hatred was the visage of his ex-prodigial student Orochimaru. He was stuck to what seemed to be a chair in the centre of a dimly-lit room with his nose covered in the same multi-coloured paint that seemed to be a constant in most of the Konoha Jinchuuriki's pranks.

"No....It just.....No way....."

Sarutobi breathed out slowly as his mind struggled to comprehend the scene depicted in the image.

"Yes way!" Jiraiya chirped, a large grin spread across his cheeks.

"And that's not even the real prank! I'll tell you just what happened! First off Naruto went to Oto to see if he could pick up any new Jutsu but then he runs into Orochimaru, right? Check this: typical Hebi-teme beats the kid up and leaves him all battered up in the middle of a forest. So Naruto decides to get his own back."

The Sandaime paled considerably.

"H-his own back?"

Jiraiya threw back his head and laughed boisterously.

"Yup! Oh but he didn't do it half-baked! Oh no! He goes right in there, blows a hole through Oro-teme's roof, spray painting the entire place with his own idea of 'art', puts corn-flour in all the showers AND to top it off he set traps at every single entrance to the underground Village! The place was in TOTAL UPROAR Sensei! It was like a war was going on! And I'm not joking one bit!"

Sarutobi flopped backwards, resting his back on the chair as he stared flabbergasted at his one-time student.

"And you say he saved Nami no Kuni?"

"Hehe, yeah, funny story that one actually! He was practising his TSS on a hill and it kinda' blew him off-course. He ended up stabbing an evil businessman in the head with one of his swords just when the guy was about to behead the hero of the country..."

"T-TSS?"

Jiraiya raised a single, white eyebrow.

"You don't know about his extreme stunts?"

If it was possible, Jiraiya would swear later that he saw the Sandaime's eyes pop right out of his head, bounce along the floor and then return to their sockets.

"E-EXTREME SPORTS?!"

'_OWCH!'_ thought Jiraiya, _'that came out too high-pitched for any respectable male!'_

"Sensei, he's been flinging himself all over the world with this stunt! He did it hundreds of times here in Konoha! Are you seriously tellin' me you had no idea?!"

The elder Shinobi shook his head. Jiraiya sighed.

"It's a stunt that requires a huge amount of elastic force to fling you into the sky at high speeds. It's quite fun actually!"

"You speak as if you've tried this....TSS."

Jiraiya smiled cheekily.

"Of course I have!"

"And you're still alive?"

Jiraiya sweat-dropped for the third time that day. Did he look dead in any way?

"Hey, I didn't get it even half as bad as Snake-butt over there! Why, it was almost as bad as that time with the tiger-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" The Hokage screamed. That was taboo in his office, not even Jiraiya would break it.

Sarutobi slowly looked back down at the pictures in his hand. Shuffling through them, he alternated between gaping and sighing and for some reason there was a weird clicking noise in the background. Looking back up at his student who suddenly moved as if to hide something, he gazed questioningly.

"Ehehe....NOTHING!"

Sarutobi shook his head slowly. The two were so alike it was uncanny. So the Uzumaki heir had humiliated Iwa, Kumo and Oto whilst saving Nami no Kuni and apparently visiting Suna as well. Luckily Jiraiya had stated that only Iwa and Oto had recognised the child and both Villages had no ties to Hi no Kuni so there wasn't much of a political problem there. The real problem was with Kumo and Oto; Kumo were angry that Kakashi's team had breached their cease-fire contract and Orochimaru....

He was sure to seek revenge in the future. No one humiliated him.

No one.

Hiruzen rubbed his forehead in agitation. He was sure this would come back to bite them in the butt at some point. Such huge-scale pranks would not go unnoticed forever and countries like Iwa and Kumo were very likely to stew over such things. The venerable leader looked up at his student again, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Can I keep these?"

Jiraiya chuckled.

"Of course you can, Sensei

_Of course you can."_

XXXXXXXX

In a dark cavern far, far away, a group of ten extremely dangerous missing-nin appeared out of the blue. The one with silver-ringed eyes turned imperiously to the rest.

"Report."

It was like a ripple spreading out in the room as each member of the criminal organisation, Akatsuki, stood to attention. One figure, hunched-back with a cloth covering his face grunted dully before answering his leader.

"It seems Orochimaru has been having some.....trouble lately."

The leader simply stared at the figure apparently waiting for him to continue.

"The Konoha Jinchuuriki laid waste to his complex a few weeks ago."

There was a sharp intake of breath from almost every member and even the leader's eyes widened although he didn't make a sound.

"What?"

The question was sharp, and the speaker looked around trying to figure out who had spoken before giving up. They were all virtual images anyway; it's not like knowing would do any good.

"Uzumaki Naruto decided to let off the largest prank in the world on Orochimaru and it turns out he has a very colourful nose at the moment....or so my spy seemed to think before I gutted him."

One member who stood out from the rest due to his glowing, crimson eyes responded to his fellow member.

"Sasori-san, was he caught?"

Said Shinobi turned his soulless gaze onto Uchiha Itachi. It seems the Uchiha didn't want his mark to be captured by anyone but himself.

"No, he was not."

Someone began to laugh uproariously and all eyes turned to a shark-like figure at the end of the dark cavern.

"You mean Snaky couldn't even handle a 9 year old brat?! Oh, that's rich that is! Itachi, I bet you don't feel so good about cutting the guy's hand off now, huh? I mean he got upstaged by a little kid!"

The Uchiha made no motion to respond to the not-so-hidden barb.

"Kisame, be silent. Is there anything else, Sasori?"

All eyes were once again directed at their resident spymaster.

"Indeed. It seems that he humiliated Iwa and Kumo too and somehow managed to turn the Kazekage's son from a murdering psychopath to a prank-master from hell. It also seems that he killed Gato from Gato enterprises."

Something exploded in the background and one member with long hair was catapulted out of his viewing area in his shock.

"*Beeping* Deidara, can't even control his own *beeping* bombs!"

The other members simply sighed at the stupidity of it all.

"It seems that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is far more powerful than we thought. Itachi, Kisame, be wary of him when you move out. Is there anything else anyone wants to add?"

No one answered.

"Very well. Zetsu continue to search for the Nibi. That will be all."

All of the images faded out apart from one.

Uchiha Itachi.

He stood with a contemplative look on his face, his blood-red, Sharingan eyes unfocused and unmoving in the darkness.

'_Naruto-kun, how strong have you become?'_

And with a final spark, the murderer of the Uchiha clan disappeared to whence he came.

XXXXXXXX

Mitarashi Anko could hardly feel her gut. It was a bad feeling, but for a very good reason. The reason she couldn't feel her gut was due to laughing so much that it felt as if her stomach was in her mouth.

And the reason for her laughter?

A bunch of photographs.

At first she had been shocked at seeing a peacock-nosed Orochimaru staring back at her and for a few minutes she had simply stared dumbly at the unbelievable moment depicted in the picture. And then she had realised the total and utter absurdity in the fact that a 9 year old.....(_**A 9 YEAR OLD!**_) had stuck the second most infamous Konoha missing-nin in a position of such great humiliation.

"Is that....superglue?!"

"Yup!"

The purple-haired Tokubetsu Jounin stared bemusedly at the kid sitting beside her at the table of an oriental Dango store.

"Oh my god....how the hell did you pull all of that off gaki?"

Naruto shrugged lightly.

"HEY! He beat me up ya' know! I wasn't gonna take that lyin' down!"

Anko glanced back at the photo in her hands, before erupting into another bout of laughter. After calming down she wiped her eyes free of tears with the edge of a napkin. Flipping the picture over, she placed it at the back of the bunch.

"Wow, what a wedgie! HAHAHAHAHA! Did you really do that?!"

"Err...Yeah."

"Eheheh, oh that's the Raikage! Funny one that!"

"O_O"

"OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THEM?!"

"Umm..."

"And that one...oooo, that's gotta hurt! What was that? Corn-flour or something?"

"Yup!"

The purple-haired Jounin turned baleful eyes on her small companion. Flipping the last card to the back, she returned to staring at the picture of her incensed ex-Sensei.

'_I think I'm gonna be laughing in my sleep for the next decade...'_

"Alright Gaki, I said I'd train you, and you've obviously improved quite a bit if you could get away from ol' 'Rochi here....by the way, why the hell is he scratchin' his armpit?!"

Naruto had the decency to blush at that.

"Ummm...I kinda' put corn-flour in their showers?"

Anko's entire body shook as she stared at the blond idiot....NO! Total GENIUS sitting in front of her.

"Y-You..."

Naruto stumbled from his chair in his haste to get away from the look of total insanity on his friend's face.

"KYAH!"

Jumping forward, throwing the entire table on its side at the same time, the Konoha Jounin smothered her young student in a bear-hug.

"ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU!"

Naruto blushed deeply at the hug and the intensity with which the older woman squeezed him. It felt nice to just mess around and laugh at stupid things with other people....

Stepping back, the pony-tailed, purple-head regarded Naruto with a devious grin.

"Just to let ya' know kid....ya' know Kakashi right?....well he's still got paint on the right side of his head. He can't seem to get rid of it."

For a moment, Naruto looked dumbstruck. His mouth opened partially to say 'what' when a fuming Cyclops Jounin appeared right in his face.

"YOU!"

Naruto backed up hastily, pointing at his chest innocently.

"Me?"

"GET RID OF THIS PAINT NOW!"

Every single customer had been alerted to the newcomer as soon as he had announced his arrival, and many of them began pointing and chortling at the elite Jounin. Naruto caught the words 'paint-face' and 'Kabuki actor' from a few different sources.

Realising just what the Jounin had asked him to do, he brightened immediately and Kakashi suddenly lost all of his prior anger and certainty to indecision and fear.

"You want me to get rid of it for ya'? OKAY!"

Speeding through hand seals, the young Uzumaki executed a flawless Suiryudan, springing from a running faucet behind the store's counter, the water dragon slammed full-tilt into the elite-Jounin's face, rocketing him out of the entrance to the shop and into a side street. There was another click and Naruto and Anko stood chuckling next to their upturned table as Jiraiya walked onto the scene.

"Maaaaaan! That was too good to miss! Nice one Naruto! You didn't hurt him did ya'?"

Naruto grinned lightly.

"Nah, just put in enough Chakra to push him away that's all!"

Jiraiya shook his head as he smiled. That was one hell of a stunt!

"Alright, well I'm off to get these framed! See ya' kiddo!"

Jiraiya pocketed the camera with a wink before waving and strolling off.

"Are you telling me that all he needed was a little water and it would've come off?! But that can't be right! Hatake went to every water source available and tried to scrub it off! He was even gonna scrape it off with a Kunai at one point!"

Naruto giggled like the little child he was before turning back to the purple-haired Snake-mistress.

"It just needs Water-natured Chakra that's all! It's ninja Omni-paint!"

Anko 'Ahh'd' before descending into a fit of chuckles. For another few minutes they just stood there laughing at everything the pre-teen had been up to. Anko had to hand it to him; he was the single most unpredictable and crazy kid she had ever seen. Even more than her! And she was the one who had replaced the Hokage's sake with a sleep-inducing poison!

So that was saying something!

"Alright, brat. Training area 44 every day at 6AM sharp. We're gonna start on Taijutsu so be ready for it!"

Naruto turned eyes full of determination on his friend.

"You bet, Anko-san!"

XXXXXXXX

Higurashi Naoto stared in horror as the massive paper-Mache bomb descended over the Hokage tower. Screams began sounding all over the village and the heavy-set weapons-master glanced around to see other villager pointing up at the orb, hands held to their mouths.

'_You'd think the world was going to end with a good old prank...Have these guys really forgotten the days of a young Minato?!'_

Stepping back into his shop, he allowed himself to smile as he thought of the only person in the world with guts big enough to handle something on that scale. Breaking him from his thoughts, a drowsy voice spoke from behind him.

"Naoto-Sensei, why's everyone shouting? They woke me up."

Naoto's grin turned predatory.

"Naruto's back!"

The panda-styled girl's eyes shot open as if electrified and she ran towards the two big windows at the edge of the living room. Peering out through the throngs of people blocking the road, she looked up, her mouth going slack as the humongous ball of gloop went 'splat' all over the Hokage tower.

"U-Unreal...."

Naoto watched her carefully. She didn't cry, she didn't shout, her lip didn't even wobble. Pride welled-up inside him as he realised just what her calm actions meant.

She had figured it out, finally.

Smiling softly, he walked back towards his bedroom. The world was right once again.

XXXXXXX

"Okay, that should be enough Sasuke."

The young Uchiha gripped his knees as he panted from the amount of effort exerted in his training. Looking up at his cousin, he saw Shisui looking at him with kind eyes.

"That's enough for today. We can get back to this tomorrow and make sure you let your mum know this time!"

Sasuke sighed good-naturedly. Damn! His mum was always pestering him to be careful in his training! But he was going to be a ninja, just like his Kaa-san and Shisui-niisan and then he was going to kick the blond-haired kid's butt when he saw him!

In an explosion of noise, the two Uchiha survivors looked towards the Hokage tower as a massive ball of rainbow coloured....something hit the podium at the top and splattered all over the building; coloured paper sticking all over the outside and coating the windows with a fresh layer of paint.

Shisui whooped at the sight.

"Oh, HELL YEAH! NARUTO'S BACK!"

Uchiha Mikoto stuck her head out of the window and her eyes widened in shock at the 'beautification' of the debatably the most important building in the whole village.

"Oh my word! Did Naruto-kun really do that?!"

Young Sasuke stared at his mother in confusion.

'_Naruto-__**kun**__?! Who's that?!'_

Shisui loped off with an 'I'm going to check it out!' and a bright smile on his face. Sasuke shrugged and turned to go back inside.

"Sasuke, you didn't tire yourself out did you? I have some food out that you can have, or maybe you want some water? In that case –"

Said Uchiha sighed in exasperation.

"I'm taking a shower Okaa-san..."

And with that, he tumped up the stairs, questions involving balls, paint and for some reason a lot of mud, revolving in his brain.

ZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Alright that's the interlude done. Next chapter is the biggest time skip as everything has now been set up. We are going to hit canon years next so that's where the real story lies. Hope you all enjoyed it so far and please leave a review and tell me what you think!

THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE FASTER THE NEXT CHAPTER GETS OUT!

MegaB


	24. Chapter 24

Yo all! I was so pumped up because of all the amazingly motivational reviews from last chapter that I decided to update as quickly as possible! How cool is that huh?

Review Highlights go to naruto-fan600 for a hilarious review about bombing the Akatsuki (lol! Even my crazy ideas have limits!), constantin for saying I'm a whiny idiot who's always begging for reviews (lol! I explained myself though!), Ageant for....Well just being Ageant (It was mainly Ageant's and a few other reviewers comments that really made me want to write more!), Lord Ezra'il for having a far more crazy mind than my own (Seriously! I mean numbered pigs?! WTH?!), Philosophical CAT for saying that he/she loves me (In a platonic way of course! :D), Luckykas for....well read the brackets (Sorry I couldn't answer but it was unsigned *cries!* Itachi doesn't have the Mangekyou Sharingan as he didn't kill Shisui due to Naruto's timely intervention, hence no Tsukuyomi was used on Sasuke. Naruto will get a life-long goal, not this chapter, but in a few. He's too young to be thinking about it at the moment, especially since he's not even in the Shinobi Academy!) and Dracco for another amazing idea which I am humbly using for my own means in this chapter!

THANK YOU ALL, I REALLY, REALLY LOVE YOUR INPUT AND I HOPE MY REPLIES SHOW HOW MUCH I LIKE THEM!

Story highlight goes to CodeKyuubi's 'Black Lightning: Legend of the Kurodenkou'. It's a very interesting read, and possibly the only other Akatsuki!Naruto story I can put up with alongside 'Houses of the Holy'. Give it a go and enjoy it!

Lastly, a lot of reviewers have been mentioning fanart. If you want to submit some, upload it and send me the link. I'll post it in my profile for everyone to see!

And with that we hit chapter 24 of K:NP! Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

ZZZZZZZ

Another two years of straight, hard training and Uzumaki Naruto was a changed person. He was stronger, faster but most of all confident. He felt as if he could take on the world at the moment, and nothing could drag him from the precipice he now stood upon.

It had not been easy though. He trained all day long, his resolve never wavering. His desire to remove the weight upon his shoulders only fuelled by the life and vitality he saw on a daily basis in Konoha. His pranks had become more sophisticated; no-one was spared including the Hokage himself who woke up one morning to find he couldn't move. For an entire twenty-four hours he had remained stationary on his bed, and so he thought he'd catch up on some sleep until someone could come and figure out what was going on with his body. His son, Sarutobi Asuma, had eventually gotten fed up waiting for his leader at the briefing of his latest A-Rank mission and stormed into the house to find his father staring at the ceiling with a vacant look on his face.

It turned out that someone had been impersonating him for half the day, most probably with an excellent Henge, but the person had made a vital mistake: he had gone out for lunch. The Sandaime NEVER went out for lunch.

It was then that the old Hokage realised he was such a lazy and undignified person. The Yondaime had always gone out for lunch even at the expense of his own work pile growing larger. Yet the Sandaime was always found in his office, all day long and only at night did he ever relinquish his duties. He ended up thanking the person, for some reason the Village had been run in exactly the right way and nothing at all was out of place. Hiruzen had a strange idea that maybe Naruto had been behind it.

It had been Naruto and Anko's plan of course. The blond nutcase needed an outlet for all the energy bottled up inside him and it didn't help when Anko seemed to be a kindred soul in that regard. One day of training and the two had been cooling down in the shade of a tree. The older Shinobi had struck up a conversation and somehow they had moved onto the topic of jobs.

"_Well brat, I won't lie to ya', I love bein' a Shinobi. It's the only job in the world I could see myself doin' and I get to kick and punch things without it bein' illegal."_

_Naruto nodded absently. What did he want to do with his life? He wouldn't become a Shinobi, but then how else would he earn money when the time came for him to sustain himself?_

"_Are there any jobs where I'd be allowed to kick and punch things without bein' a ninja?"_

_Anko leaned back against the rough back of the old elm behind them and stared up at the sky; the oranges and pinks blending as twilight began to set in. The stars of the heavens were bright for the time of day and one shone extremely bright._

"_See that kid? That star is like you. You're in a sky filled with stars that are almost the same all around ya'. But you have to make something of yourself on your own, find something you're good at that fits ya'. Like that star shines bright where it is, brighter than the ones around it. You have to find that place too and shine brighter than everyone else around you."_

_Naruto remained laying on his back, gazing up at the celestial bodies for a while. Could he do that? Was it possible for him to become like that star, more powerful, more unique than all the other stars around him?_

"_Hey Anko-nee....When did you learn all this stuff?"_

_Said Mitarashi blushed at the scrutiny and turned away. When she replied, her voice was tinged with regret and a slight amount of mock anger._

"_What you tryna say there gaki? You think I don't have my moments of wisdom too?"_

_There was silence for a while as they both stared up at that star, each lost in their own thoughts._

"_I've been through a lot Naruto, maybe even more than you. I won't say I even understand how you felt when you were younger, but I've had bad experiences too. I just hope you'll never have to go through something like that...._

_Ever."_

_The last word was whispered so quietly that the Konoha Jinchuuriki almost lost it to the noises of the large animals in training ground 44. He didn't notice when the purple-haired woman rose from her position, straightening her knee-length, tan trench coat and then loping off into the trees. After a few more minutes it hit him that Anko had said his name this time; not 'brat', 'kid', or 'gaki', she had actually called him by his name._

_And she hadn't once shortened her words like she usually did._

After that it seemed he and Anko had grown closer, forming a sort of friendship beyond that of normal friends, yet not quite family either. There were things that neither would mention to the other, and Naruto began to realise that TenTen had been the one at fault all along all those years ago. The girl was prideful and stubborn, and even now she refused to apologise for her actions. He sometimes saw her at the Higurashi weapons store and although the anger and arrogance seemed to have disappeared, the tension and awkwardness had not.

Naruto wasn't going to apologise, not now and definitely not for something that hadn't been his fault in the first place. His initial stance was correct; there were some secrets that were better left as secrets. So apart from the mandatory 'Hi' or 'how've you been' the two hardly spoke any more to the other.

Naruto decided not to press it. Their friendship would never be the same as it was all those years ago; both had changed too much in the years bygone and her attitude was beginning to unravel for the prank-master. He had other friends now, ones he could count on in any situation, friends he had shed sweat and blood with in dangerous situations and yet they had all come out laughing. He now knew what it was to be a friend and what friends could expect from one another, and at that point TenTen could not be described like that.

Speaking of friends, Kakashi had woken up for the next few weeks with Omni-paint dripping down his face. Being the genius that he is, he realised that Water-natured Chakra was required to remove said gloop and so took to washing his face with a low-powered Suiton Jutsu every morning. Naruto got a good kick out of watching the elite Shinobi squirm every single time he looked at him. It seems he still hadn't figured out that the paint was actually on the head-rest of his sleeping bag. Why did he use his sleeping bag at home anyway?

Shisui had been happy to see the blond return too. He had taken to meeting the Genjutsu master at least once a week where they would catch up with all of Naruto's pranks he had let off the previous week. One time, Naruto had unintentionally set something off that sent the entire village into uproar and the poor Uchiha was left bed-ridden at the hospital due to a constricted gut; a result of laughing too much. Jiraiya would remember that event all too well for the rest of his years...

Naruto had been working rigorously on seals in the months after returning. His Taijutsu training with Anko left him exhausted after every day and so he had taken to reading his old scrolls on basic sealing theory that Jiraiya had given to him. Imagine Jiraiya's surprise when he found the kid working on something that would be totally revolutionary to Konoha should the blond Jinchuuriki ever decide to share his knowledge.

"_What's that you've got there gaki?"_

_Naruto looked up from the scroll held in his hands as he sat hunched against a wall of his bedroom. Jiraiya noticed the frown of confusion on his face as he balanced on the window he had just jumped to._

"_Oh Ero-Sennin! See, I was workin' on this seal thingy where you stick two of those thingies together and then use them to do one thing!"_

_Jiraiya sweat-dropped at the choice of words. 'He calls complex seals 'thingies'?! How the heck does he learn this stuff?!'_

"_But ya' see, I can't seem to get it to work!"_

"_What are you trying to do?"_

_Naruto placed the scroll on the wooden floor of his bedroom and picked up another sheet of paper he had obviously been working on._

"_Well, see, I had this idea where I can control my Airboard without having to actually be on it! Kinda like a joystick thingy from those computer games they sell at the electronics store. I'm sure it's all fine though but whenever I put Chakra in it, my Airboard don't move an inch!"_

_Jiraiya stared at the seal. It seemed to be a dual-design with a central control-seal attached to another seal that was very familiar to the Toad-Sage. Naruto had the control seal hooked up to an elemental control seal which obviously was meant to control the additional elemental control seals on the Airboard. The difference between the first and the second elemental seals was that the first was directly controlling the second whereas the latter was the seal that handled the actual elemental manipulation that the user normally would. It looked fine to the elite Shinobi, yet he watched the seal light up again and again as the young blond attempted to prove his point by showing his 'teacher'._

"_Woah, woah.....hold up. Are you telling me you created your Airboard using these basic seals?!"_

_Naruto shrugged lightly. Jiraiya sweat-dropped again; he was a total genius, and the kid had not a clue in the world!_

"_...Naruto it seems as if the first seal is incorrect. See that central control seal? When it lights up, the Chakra seems to be dispersing before it hits the elemental seal."_

_Naruto just stared at him._

"_HOW THE HECK ARE YOU LEARNING FUUINJUTSU WITHOUT KNOWING THE NAMES OF THE THINGS YOU'RE DRAWING?!"_

_Naruto scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment._

"_Oh, I know what I'm doing! It's just I don't know the names of them!"_

_Jiraiya's brain was about to break down. The kid was doing the same thing he had said before; he was making complex seals without knowing what they were called._

"_Ok, look. That central thingy is not doing the job it should because the other seal thingy isn't getting any Chakra at all. Well....it is, but it isn't doing what it's meant to be doing."_

"_OH!" The 10 year old chirped, as if it was the most natural thing in the world._

'_GOD DAMMIT! I'M BEGINNING TO THINK IN 'THINGS' AS WELL!'_

_Naruto continued to prod the seal and channel chakra into it at irregular intervals._

"_So what is it doing then?"_

_Jiraiya whipped his head up to stare at his 'quasi-student'. That was a surprising question; it was obviously not doing anything. 'I'm sure that first seal looks like something I've seen from somewhere...'_

"_Well, it ain't doing anything, is it?"_

"_Oh...."_

_Jiraiya still couldn't force the foreboding feeling of doom setting over his mind. He knew he should have recognised the first seal, but for some reason he just couldn't quite place it..._

_Meanwhile, halfway across the village, Hyuuga Hiashi was having a very strange day. The first inclination he had that things weren't quite the way they should be was when he was walking proudly from the Hyuuga clan compound's foyer to his office after meeting with a Hyuuga elder to discuss the state of the new generation's dress sense. As he rounded the corner of a hallway, he met a very strange sight indeed._

_Hyuuga Neji, the prodigy of the Hyuuga Branch House, appeared to be trying to walk through a wall. Everytime he would force his head into the brick and mortar with force, he would curse, stop and then try again. Hiashi frowned at this development. Geniuses weren't what they used to be it seems._

"_Neji, the door to the fountain garden is over there. I suggest you use it, instead of trying to make a new one."_

_The Hyuuga Patriarch pointed towards the obvious exit. How could this boy miss it?! It was labelled as an 'exit' after all; in big red Kanji too! To his slight anger, his nephew didn't seem to respond at all to his advice and the only evidence that he had even heard his uncle was the rigid stiffening of his back._

_Suddenly, the boy's head reared back and with a small, high-pitched scream of horror, blew through the wall with gusto._

"_DAMN YOU FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!"_

_Hiashi looked aghast at the damage done to his precious home. Running to the hole in the wall he peered out to see his nephew rocketing off into Konoha at such high speeds that the clan head's clothes were buffeted by the winds in the boy's wake._

"_NEJI! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT HOLE WHEN YOU GET BACK HERE, DO YOU HEAR ME?!"_

_Naturally there was no answer and so the clan elder sighed in exasperation and returned to plodding resolutely towards his office. He would not allow that little stunt to affect his day; he had an image of honour and superiority to preserve._

_To his growing shock and terror, he found himself at the lounge of the Hyuuga Branch House that cut sideways from the hallway to his office. The lesser clan members were throwing themselves all over the place, destroying furniture and precious ornaments wherever they stood. In his anger, Hiashi activated his Byakugan and gaped at what he saw._

_Every Branch House member's Caged-Bird seal was activated, yet they were not being hurt in the slightest. Instead, a strong amount of Wind Chakra seemingly sprung up around them at irregular intervals and caused them to go zooming in whatever direction it wanted them to go. They were blowing holes through everything in sight! This was unacceptable!_

_After a few more seconds of scrutinising the activated seals he caught a faint Chakra connection that seemed to be directed from outside of the compound. But how was that possible? The Caged-Bird seal was designed so that only Main Branch members could use it. And there weren't any Main Branch members outside of the house attempting to punish their subordinates._

_As he mused over the apparent problem he didn't notice a certain Branch member moving towards him until it was too late._

"_Hiroshi! What are you-"_

_SMACK!_

_Hyuuga Hiashi was knocked out, plain and simple. Hiroshi would later deny that it had been intentional although the delirious smile on his face tended to hint the opposite._

After that debacle, the Sandaime had called Naruto in for a meeting in the Hokage Tower. Once arriving there he had gotten down to business right away.

"_Naruto, were you controlling the Hyuuga the other day?"_

"_Huh? The what?!"_

"_The Hyuuga. The people with the white eyes and no pupils!"_

"_Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, the ghosty guys! Why would I be controlling them?"_

"_It has come to my attention that the Hyuuga Caged-Bird seal had been used by someone outside the clan and it was propelling the 'users' all around the Village."_

"_O_o"_

"_Don't look at me like that!"_

"_Like what?"_

_Hiruzen gave up right there. He obviously hadn't been the culprit and the blond seemed to be acting cold to him still._

"_Naruto-kun, what's the matter with you these days? You are being very belligerent."_

"_Bal-le-leargh..."_

_The Sandaime sighed._

"_COLD! You're being very cold to me these days!"_

_Naruto's demeanour changed instantly. His eyes grew hard and distant and his entire posture turned defensive. Sarutobi was slightly worried by this outcome, yet he forged on._

"_Well?"_

_Naruto's bangs shadowed his eyes as he spoke, his voice low and filled with a certain emotion the venerable Hokage was unable to recognise. Was it bitterness?_

"_You haven't forgotten have you, __**Jiji**__?"_

_The elder Shinobi stiffened at those words, a cold chill running down his spine at how the last word was almost spat out at him. 'Jiji'...When was the last time Minato's legacy had called him that?_

_A pang of sadness went through the old ninja's heart._

"_You used me....and then threw me out to the most dangerous places. Do you know how many times I almost died out there Jiji? Do you even care?"_

_His voice was emotionless, hollow, almost to the level of a certain Uchiha. The Hokage bristled at the veiled accusation._

"_You chose to leave! I couldn't stop you! You are a civilian just like you wanted to be! How can you accuse me of not caring when I was the one who sent Jiraiya out after you?!"_

_Naruto turned to leave, his mind already set. With a last sentence of finality, he left the Third Fire Shadow with a burdened heart._

"_And who was it that made me leave in the first place, eh Jiji?"_

Jiraiya was astonished by the outcome of that meeting. Naruto didn't mope and stew in his thoughts like he would have done before he left Konoha. It seemed as if the young blond had matured well with his experiences in the greater world and Jiraiya could only say that he was proud of his godson. Akatsuki were beginning to move and with the strength he had now, the pre-teen may be able to give the lower members a workout.

Anko had trained him hard, in what exactly, he didn't know. But aside from his own instruction, the Gama-Sennin knew there were others helping too. Perhaps Kakashi and Shisui had a hand in his large growth in strength, but there was one thing for sure in all of this.

Naruto was light-years ahead of any and all Academy students, even most Genin and Chuunin for that matter!

And at the end of the two years, just after the Konoha Jinchuuriki's twelfth birthday, his year's Academy class would graduate and be put on teams. Naruto would be left on the sidelines again, a spectator as his Jounin friends went about preparing the next generation for Shinobi life. Jiraiya would always stand by his side though, even if he had to fight tooth and nail to do so.

Just before the graduation exam, Naruto met up with Anko, Kakashi and Shisui for the last time. The three were very close; Kakashi the tortured senior, Shisui the crazy nutcase and Anko the even crazier snake-mistress. The patchwork family would meet every week after the other two found out about Shisui and Naruto's meetings and so it became a regular thing for them, a constant in their lives.

As they sat swapping some of the more mundane tales and accomplishments in their lives (Naruto had a lot to add), the three simply basked in each others' presence, enjoying the last quality group time they had. Kakashi was slated for another Genin team this year and it was possible that they would pass with Uchiha Sasuke on the team. Shisui was being drafted into ANBU after a large successful stint as a Tokubetsu Jounin alongside Anko. And Anko....she would still be available at least.

"So how's the training coming along Naruto?"

The young blond turned his head to gaze at the Uchiha survivor, yet Anko answered before he could even open his mouth.

"He's damn good I tell ya'! He could give any of us three a hard time if he went all out!"

Kakashi's book snapped shut in the quiet evening darkness as he turned to regard them. His eyes searched Naruto's sapphire orbs, looking for something there that only he could see. Naruto had taken to playing pranks on him at every corner and he had noticed an increase in not only his own abilities as a Shinobi, but also Naruto himself had improved in leaps and bounds. After a full three minutes, the elite Jounin relaxed, his only visible eyes curving upwards in what Naruto had come to realise was a smile.

"You'll do!"

Warmth filled the blonde's heart as he looked at the three...._**acknowledging**_ him. An image of a small family from Wave flashed across his mind and tears began to gather at the corner of his eyes.

"You're not gonna cry are ya'?! Oh hell no! The great prank-master Uzumaki Naruto crying over a compliment?!"

Naruto roughly scrubbed his eyes with the side of his hand as he glared at the Uchiha.

"SHADDAP YOU!"

All three broke out in laughter before flopping down onto the grass of the park they were currently meeting in. Their heads touched each other in a rough circle as their bodies were pointed outwards.

"We are so gonna kick some butt!"

The other three nodded at Shisui's comment.

"We are totally gonna own this place!"

They nodded again.

"I'm totally gonna kick Naruto's butt!"

They nodded again.

There was a brief silence.

"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

The three Jounin chuckled at their young friend's antics.

"But is he ready?"

Kakashi's voice was a whisper on the wind, calm and soft yet booming to the ones who were listening. The three descended into a thoughtful silence as Naruto strained anxiously to see where they would go with this. For some reason he knew not to butt in at this point; this was something between them and he had to sit it out. It was almost like an exam....like- like a laser beam checking you for explosives and-

'_Damn! I've got to stop reading comics all night!'_

Anko hummed lightly, Naruto realised it sounded more like a growl than a hum. Slowly she sat up and turned to them, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I guess there's only one way to find out!"

The other three sat up straight.

"And what's that?"

Ever the cautious one, Kakashi wanted the details before agreeing.

"We have to test him!"

The two Sharingan users nodded at that. It was a sound idea. Anko whipped around to face her 'student', a manic grin stretched across her visage and her finger pointed at the blond whilst her other hand pumped the air. Naruto's stomach plummeted to his feet.

'_This can't be good...'_

"You! Uzumaki Naruto, are hereby challenged to put a seal on every single ANBU in this village without them noticing. You are then to steal the Sandaime's seeing ball before spreading a banner of us four with victory signs. You are then to draw a massive cartoon-styled picture of the Sandaime picking his nose in the air using clouds above the Hokage Monument. You are then to hide for five hours without being caught, seen, heard, smelt or felt!"

Kakashi and Shisui looked askance at the...idea. There was no way in hell Naruto was going to-

"I ACCEPT!"

The two grinned and threw their arms over the other's shoulders, their smiles reminding the other two oddly of a snake and a fox.

'_Kami-Sama, we are sorry for ever introducing Naruto to Anko. Please don't torture us when we die!'_

For the rest of the night, the four friends talked and joked with each other, Shisui managing to give Naruto the 'noogie of death' and Kakashi's book being stolen a dozen times. By the time midnight rolled around the three were tired and weary, their hearts heavy with finality. The grass beneath them seemed to sway in the slight breeze along with their sadness, a certain stillness settling over the group.

"We'll survive. All of us. Promise."

"Promise."

Standing, the four friends looked at one another for a moment, simply scrutinising each other in the dim street-light that managed to reach this far out; almost as if they were trying to memorise each others' faces, every little detail.

Finally, they turned and walked away, moonlight bathing the area in a silvery glow.

Naruto wouldn't cry until he slept. And even then he wouldn't remember his tears from his dreams; dreams of emptiness and loneliness.

The void that had been closed for two years cracked open ever so slightly.

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! The ending was very important for later events, things I have been planning for a while now. Next chapter sees the 'examination prank' the graduation of the Genin teams and a few other surprises which I myself haven't even thought of yet!

Hope you all liked it, and as always R&R. The more reviews I get, the faster I get the next chapter out!

PS: REVIEW!

MegaB


	25. Chapter 25

Hello and welcome to chapter 25 of K:NP! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, I am really grateful and I hope I continue to receive such an amazing response in the future!

Review Highlights go to k31tw1nd4v for informing me that my story was advertised on a forum on the internet (that makes me really happy lol!), ^^* for another lovely review! (thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked that bit with Hiroshi lol!), anothvortex for saying a lot of intelligent things (thank you! Glad you liked it, and he won't be going all emo again although he may get close! XP), Hitokiri Onib for a detailed break-down of my story so far (It was such a great read!), ResalynnLynx for asking all the right questions, one of which I'm going to address below, Bferts for almost dying as he read it (;D) and Togepi for asking another question which I will also address below. Thank you all, you're all amazing reviewers and I write this story for people like you! You are shining examples of readers to everyone on this site!

Ok, now onto the two questions. Lynx asked why it was that Naruto seemed so cold to the Sandaime even though he made a resolution to accept him once again. The reason for this is that Naruto knows how the Sandaime thinks now, he knows how to detect whether Sarutobi is genuinely opening up to him and so far he doesn't think that that has happened. Togepi asked what Naruto's skill level was as I seemed to be confused as I wrote the last chapter. The answer to that is all on the perspectives; read it carefully and you'll see what I intended. For those of you who can't be bothered, I will elucidate here. Naruto is 'high Chuunin' level as an all rounder. Mind you that's a very flexible mark and so it varies depending on the area he is using. For instance, his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu are far superior to his Genjutsu, but more on that later. When Anko said that 'he could give them (meaning Shisui, Anko and Kakashi) a run for their money, I meant that literally; his incredible flexibility during fights coupled with his devious mind make him one of the most unpredictable fighters in the Village. We've seen snaps of this in his various fights and in various ways.

Story Highlight goes to Rurouni12065's 'The Tragedy of Repetition'. It truly is a very sad and impactful story, one which I can't stress enough for everyone to go and read. I'm sure you'll all love it as much as I did at least!

With that over, we hit chapter 25 and the results, or should I say the means, of the latest chaos in Konoha!

ZZZZZZZZ

'_Yosh! First part complete!'_

Standing fluidly from his crouched position on the ceiling of the ANBU Headquarters, Uzumaki Naruto quickly engaged his Invisibility Jutsu. It wouldn't really help at this point if any of them were to wake up; they were probably so attuned to Chakra detection that they could pinpoint his location without having to rely on their sight. For that matter, the Chakra Beacon technique may have been a better choice, but then again if they saw him, it would end in the same result.

Oh, he could use the two techniques together, yet the majority of the ANBU were sleeping, Naruto having planned his latest prank at 2AM in the morning, and so doing something as foolish as the Chakra Beacon in the middle of the ANBU HQ was the same as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

'_Hmm....I wonder if dragons exist?'_

Swiftly releasing his hold on the matte white surface, he dropped noiselessly to the ground, rolling upon impact in order to muffle any sound he would make. Quickly scanning his surroundings, he made good on his escape, sprinting for the open window that he had left open as he'd come in.

In the shadows by the wall at the back of the laundry room, a lone ANBU melted out from the darkness, purple, straight hair cascading down her back and swaying in the slight breeze from the early morning air.

'_Uzumaki Naruto, what were you doing here?'_

Uzuki Yuugao padded forward towards the out-pile of clothes left for the next day of work, her steps soundless and her body contorting and stretching with a seamless, feline grace. When she reached the edge of the Washing Machines lined up against a thick wall, she plucked a shirt from the pile, the one she had seen the blond boy drawing on. Shaking out the creases, she inspected the garment with a critical eye; it was a black shirt, non-descript in design with no frills or patterns. It was faded from use, the edges slightly worn and a small cleanly cut hole just under the armpit. That was obviously the work of a Kunai; the ANBU the shirt belonged to must have gotten into a fight on his last mission and hadn't quite dodged the blade from skimming him.

'_Was it thrown or was it from a slash by hand?'_

Shaking herself from her military thoughts, she returned to her original inspection. Having found nothing, she replaced the shirt on the pile and turned to the window which had now been shut, obviously by the same blond who had exited using it.

'_What was he doing here?'_

Shaking her head, she turned to the door that led to the ANBU HQ's halls of residence. It was best she kitted herself out and got to her patrol. It wouldn't do to be late, especially since she was meeting her new captain today. Hatake Kakashi had been an excellent field commander; she had never known the laid back man to make a mistake in judgement and it showed. He hadn't lost a single comrade in all his years of ANBU service, always going beyond enemy lines and above his true call of duty to ensure the safety and protection of his squad.

It was an impressive record and for all the elite-Shinobi's faults, he was still a captain that Yuugao would look up to for the rest of her life. She didn't know if this 'Tenzou' could live up to the same record...

But she would see. First things first, she had to report this odd movement to her superiors straight away.

Spinning on her heel, she glided to the room's door, quickly sliding it open and shutting it firmly behind her as she left. The shirt she had thrown back onto the pile lay awkwardly on its side; the moonlight from outside streaming through the window and catching on the inside of the material, just under the label where it would have rested on the ANBU member's neck. A small black seal glimmered as the light struck it, a foreboding black spider of characters, waiting to be activated.

XXXXXXX

3AM.

He had maybe two to three hours tops to complete the rest of his test before it would become too risky. Skipping sideways, he manoeuvred around a railing as he jumped to the roof of a red-brick building, his feet barely making a sound as he landed.

The Village was completely different at night, like a whole different world. The streets were invaded by a deluge of shadow, street lamps barely sufficient to navigate around. Naruto couldn't even see the cobblestone floor clearly from his perch. But what the lamps didn't make up for, the moon did. The silvery glow bathed the world in a mysterious glow, a feeling entirely foreign to the blond. How many times had he been awake on a morning like this?

Not many. He tended to sleep in late most of the time.

Grinning at his own internal joke, he spotted the entrance to the Hokage Tower ahead with the long flight of stairs to its right. His aim this time was the Hokage's office, so he could forego the formality of taking the traditional route. Jogging to the right of the circular building, he made his way around until he stopped in a small alleyway between the wall of the Tower and the north side of another building. The brickwork was slightly old and beginning to crumble; this was probably the evidence of the original Village infrastructure. Konoha had been built with the Tower and Monument at its centre; all of the later construction having spread out in all directions.

Naruto braced his foot on the side of the Tower and pushed Chakra to the soles of his feet.

This, at least should be the easy part.

Springing upwards, he ran up the wall as fast as he can...

Before landing on the ground on his head. Stars exploded before his eyes as his body slumped over backwards on his head.

"Ugh...."

'_What the hell was that?!'_

He rolled over slowly before pushing himself to his feet. Shaking his head as if to throw off his sudden vertigo, he placed his foot on the wall again and attempted to get it to stick. For some odd reason, his foot wouldn't stick at all.

'_What's going on here?! Some kinda'....Chakra repelling paint?!'_

Sighing at his obstacle, he flopped onto his behind, resting his chin in his hands. How the hell was he going to get up to the window?

Glancing up, the window to the Sandaime's office seemed so far away. What he needed was something like a catapult; stronger than the Chakra Pads technique but far weaker than say, the TSS...

'_What could get me up there, which I could control, whilst still being able to change the height I would go up to?'_

Pumping his fist in a sudden spark of intelligence, his eyes lit up as he realised just what he could use. Standing up, he brushed himself off from the gravel stuck to his clothes, the grimy, granular compound clouding the air as it was struck from his body, leaving a slightly moist feeling on his skin. He turned his back to the circular wall of the tower and walked as far as he could until he was right up against the opposite building. Crouching down he went through Anko's lesson on the technique he was about to use.

"_Listen up brat! This is a defensive technique and not a particularly great one at that. All it does is raise a wall in front of you, so don't go usin' it when you need more than thirty degrees of protection! It should stand up to most techniques below B Rank, but if you get somethin' higher....Well we'll get to that later...."_

'_Crouch down and feel the earth as if it's part of you...'_

Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply, stretching his Chakra senses deep into the gravelly ground beneath him, searching and feeling every last speck of the rocky material, melding it, twisting it, _**becoming a part of it.**_

His eyes snapped open as he called out his Jutsu in his mind.

'_Doton: Doro Gaeshi!'_

Flooding the technique with Chakra, a solid wall of earth sprang up underneath him, catapulting his form at the Hokage Tower. Being the thrill seeker that he was, Naruto had to bite his tongue to stop himself from shouting in excitement as his blood pounded through his veins, the air streaming past him as he flew at the building. Everything was going so well! It was such a great idea-

CRACK!

With a yelp of pain, he found himself indented into the brick wall about a metre below his intended target. Small pieces of brick rolled from the jagged edges and tumbled to the ground where they formed a small heap of brick and mortar.

'_Ugh, dammit...Nothing ever goes right on the first try....ever.'_

Extracting himself gingerly from the hole, he stuck his feet firmly onto the edge with Chakra; the surface of the wall might have some weird anti-Chakra paint or something, but the actual brick certainly did not!

Slowly, he patted himself down carefully, making sure he hadn't broken anything.

'_Ah well, even if I have, the fox will probably fix it...'_

The Fox! As if hit by a premonition, the young pre-teen stiffened as his mind took a different path, one that he had never thought about before.

'_Why....Why hasn't it tried to contact me? Why is it so quiet?'_

Forgetting his impromptu mission his mind's-eye turned introspective. Surely the fox was a thinking, living entity? It had attacked Konoha for some reason after all, although if he was honest with himself, the blond Uzumaki knew next to nothing about the attack twelve years before. What had happened that day? Why had it happened?

And why was he the only one affected twelve years later?

That was a dangerous thought and he didn't want to fall back to his old mindset again. He was stronger now and far more capable. There was no way he would fail in his life after coming this far.

A small smile played over his lips as he raised his glowing eyes towards his goal. He could reach the window with a Chakra aided jump. But how could he get in without making a noise?

'_Ah well! Gonna have to take risks sometimes eh?'_

With another grin, he pumped Chakra into his heels and leapt for the window, smashing straight through the hardened glass. The solid surface shattered upon impact releasing a high note into the air as the window was thrown inwards under the impact.

Naruto landed quickly, right next to Sarutobi's desk. The ANBU would be here in less than ten seconds after that, so he immediately Henge'd into the form of the Sandaime Hokage.

It was time to put his earlier espionage as the Hokage to good use!

XXXXXXXX

Newly promoted ANBU Captain Yamato, or Tenzou, if you went by his real name, was plodding down the end of the corridor towards the Sandaime's office when he heard a distinct crash and the sound of glass breaking. Snapping straight into action, he raced down the hallway, his mind a hurricane of theories and battle plans.

The elite-Shinobi was a diamond in the rough. He had the bloodline of the Shodai Hokage, the ability to manipulate wood in any way he saw fit. It was a powerful asset for the Village, one that they would hate to lose and that granted the espionage operative a great amount of leverage in his decisions.

But then again, he was hardly ever wrong anyway.

He had been due to meet his new team this morning. Originally he had been assigned along with another ninja by the name of Sarutobi Asuma to the three man wonder team under Hatake Kakashi. Their record had been stunning; completing every single mission thrown at them, and even Asuma who had come in as a rookie, had risen fast up the ranks of the upper-echelon of Konoha Shinobi.

But as all things were in the world, the team was heading for inevitable change. Asuma had taken off his mask, both physically and figuratively whilst Kakashi had been switched to another, newer squad, and Yamato had been left with an empty after-taste that bugged him as he was re-assigned to a variety of teams. After serving under another two captains, the higher-ups decided that he was better used in a captain role himself and so it came that he was to assemble his team that very day.

The initiation mission standard for all Shinobi, was a simple set of objectives, usually no higher than an A-Rank. Yet Yamato's new squad had been assigned a C-Rank patrol mission in the Konoha Major. It was by no means a difficult mission, but as it was his first mission as a captain, he intended to make it count.

He was totally thrown off when a potential intruder appeared, or rather announced, his or her arrival in the Hokage's office. Foregoing the door, the newly promoted ANBU Captain Shunshined straight into the room.

As he experienced the slight disorientation from the sudden burst of speed, Yamato's eyes were met by a strange sight. The Sandaime was standing by the window, picking up shards of glass with utmost care and laying them on the side of his desk.

"HOKAGE-SAMA!....what's going on here?"

The Sandaime turned around, a genial smile spread across his lips.

"Ahh, Saru! Sorry about that! Damn kids these days! Seems they threw a brick at my window!"

Yamato cocked an eyebrow. Kids and bricks?

He took a look at the floor and there was indeed a brick lying at the centre of the mess of glass.

"Ah...I...See...Anyway! Sandaime-Sama, I am here for the portfolio on my new team."

The Sandaime nodded and bent down behind his desk and started rummaging through what Yamato could only think of as a drawer of some sort.

'_A...Drawer? He stores information about the ANBU in his drawer?!'_

Yamato decided right there and then that he'd never try to question the Sandaime's habits again; they seemed a bit..._**eccentric **_to say the least. It was a shame that his undying loyalty prevented him from looking further or he would have see a slight look of befuddlement cross the 'old Shinobi's' face.

"AAAAAAHA!"

The ANBU captain quirked another eyebrow as he saw the elder Hokage pull out his seeing ball. Wasn't he meant to be finding the folder on his new team?

"Err...Hokage-sama, aren't you meant to be looking for the folder that I asked for?"

The Sandaime's eyes seemed to twinkle as he smiled good-naturedly at his 'subordinate'.

"Dear Saru-san! In my old age, I have completely forgotten where I placed the folder and so I'm using my seeing ball to find it! Don't you think it's just so ingenious? What a lovely contraption it is, eh?"

If the elite Shinobi could have raised a third eyebrow, he would have. It seems the Sandaime's age was affecting him a lot more than the ninja population were led to believe.

'_Is that the...Onsen?' _His eyes flicked up to the Sandaime's before he blushed heavily and turned away. Did the Sandaime regularly spy on that?

"Umm...you forget to turn it off, Hokage-sama..."

The venerable leader's eyes widened comically as he took in the sight portrayed by the glass ball. If Yamato hadn't looked away in his shame he would have seen another look of confusion morph into one of complete and utter glee.

"Oh, no matter! All-seeing ball! I command you to find Saru-san's team folder that I have forgotten!"

Yamato almost sweat-dropped as he saw his leader moving his hands over the surface of the small globe as if he was casting a spell. More ridiculous yet, was the look of mystery and intrigue upon his face.

'_I don't think I ever want to lead a Village...all the leaders seem to be crazy if what I heard about the Tsuchikage and Raikage were anything to go by...Then again, Hokage-Sama's not really any better is he?'_

Yamato's treasonous thoughts convinced him that leaders were crazy. Maybe the job was too hard to handle or something.

'_Wait a minute....I'm an ANBU Captain! That's a leading position too! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo'_

His face comically degenerated into one that would totally freak anyone else out. So became the newly promoted ANBU Captain's 'Freak Face'.

"AHA! I have found it!"

Yamato's head snapped up as he viewed the Sandaime move to his bookcase on the right hand side of his desk and then pull out a green folder with the words 'ANBU squad 8: Codename Yamato' scrawled on its surface.

This time he did sweat-drop.

'_He forgot the folder when it was right next to him...'_

Sarutobi Hiruzen approached his 'subordinate' and deposited the portfolio into his hands before turning back to gathering up the shards from the floor. Taking it as his dismissal, Yamato made his way to the door uncertainly before stealing a glance at his leader. The Sandaime was hunched over humming a tune as he worked. Yamato shook his head and sighed. He had better get to his mission...

Trying not to disturb his leader, he opened the door and shut it as quietly as he could before taking off into the early morning. Inside the office, the Sandaime grinned uncharacteristically before making a hand seal and becoming concealed in a great puff of smoke.

Out of the smoke screen stepped a twelve year old blond who snickered into his palm whilst gathering up the glittering glass ball into the folds of his black night-jacket. With one last giggle he jumped out of the window and hopped over the rooftops towards the Hokage monument.

'_Task number 2, COMPLETE!'_

XXXXXXXXX

The population of Konoha woke to a very strange morning. The early risers didn't take long to realise that something was wrong; they could tell that the ANBU were about.

Usually the elite squads were so well hidden that the Villagers could never tell where they were. If a patrol ever ran into trouble, it was like they would pop out from thin air. But this morning, every ANBU member was followed by a stream of leaves apparently attracted to their posteriors.

It was a comical sight, and one particularly unfortunate ANBU attempted to get rid of them by using a Katon jutsu on his pants; he didn't stop to realise he was wearing them, thinking he was aiming at the leaves alone.

To one purple-haired ANBU member, the day's events were getting more and more bizarre. The leaves had been funny and all, especially when her new Captain had been forced to cover up his own backside with a hasty Mokuton Jutsu. Walking around a Village in broad daylight with a tree growing out of your....*ahem* was not the best way to maintain the 'badass and dangerous' outlook that the ANBU held.

Yuugao knew who had caused it of course; it had to have been the Uzumaki, and she had done the most logical thing in that situation by wearing her own clothes that day. She had a spare uniform in her closet and so she decided to forego wearing the HQ delivered set.

What boggled her though, was _how he had done it._ She was sure she hadn't detected anything on those shirts when she had scrutinised them, then again it had been dark and the shirt was black in colour. Maybe it was something black he had drawn....

'_Seals!' _She breathed out in excitement. _'Amazing! He could have killed every single ANBU out on a mission this morning and all he used was a seal!'_

After realising the Konoha Jinchuuriki's intent, she decided against informing her superiors of the events she had witnessed. Every prank the blond kid had pulled so far, were ones that highlighted a very important area that was critical to Konoha in her opinion; Security.

Konoha had become lax, unreasonably so. Naruto was doing a good job in helping the ANBU make up for it and although it hadn't been made into an issue yet, it was keeping the patrol teams on their toes.

She had been very surprised to see the clouds in some weird formation though, that was some serious Fuuton work in her opinion. Her respect for the twelve year old went up a few notches even though she had no idea what the hell the clouds were meant to show.

Besides the leaves following around all of the ANBU squads, the thing that riled up most of her compatriots was the banner stretched over the Hokage monument depicting four people raising their fingers in a 'V' sign (one of them the other way around and Yuugao was sure that meant something besides 'Victory'). She recognised two of them; one was Hatake Kakashi, her former superior when she had been fresh in the ANBU and the second with the flipped 'V' was Uzumaki Naruto himself.

Most of the Shinobi population had been enraged by their leaders' faces, past and present, being covered by something as base and derogatory as that and so the whole Village was once again in a state of uproar. Yuugao had to hand it to the blond; he certainly knew how to cause total pandemonium at a moment's notice.

Yet for some reason, _**they couldn't find hide or hair of him! **_It was like he'd just disappeared off the face of the earth. His Chakra signature was nowhere to be found and there was simply no trace of him anywhere in the Village. Tenzou-Taichou had found a trace of the boy's Chakra in the Sandaime's office though, almost as if he had used a technique in there and it had led him to conclude that he was the one to break his leader's window that very morning.

For Naruto himself, he was having a great day! The sky was clear, the sun was shining (well apart from that large patch above the Hokage Tower, they would probably have some localised rain sometime in the day!). He snickered as he strolled along the throngs of shoppers crowding the Market District. His Chakra levels were at almost zero, and no-one would look twice among the masses of people milling about, some starting for lunch. The ANBU were a massive attraction that day and he'd heard one particularly funny remark that had set him off this morning that he'd kinda' forgotten.

Something about the new ANBU uniform being 'truly of the leaf'.

"Yo!"

Naruto looked up to find a grinning Kakashi facing him with his visible eye closed in an inverted 'U'.

"Ineteresting day, neh? I'm so glad I quit the ANBU you know? By the way, wasn't the cloud formation meant to be of the Sandaime picking his nose? That looks like one of your paint bombs gone wrong..."

Naruto simply held his gut whilst waving his hand at his friend.

"D-Don't say anymore...I c-can't take it..." He managed to ground out the words through his gasps of laughter.

Kakashi simply smiled at his young friend. It was stunning just how easily the blond had thrown the Village into uproar. A single morning and the entire Shinobi population were in cahoots, the upper ranks covering their shame literally. Anko had taught him well, they all had. And it was shown in his deviousness from carrying out every single one of those tasks with the gusto of a baker kneading his bread. Kakashi didn't think he'd ever like to fight this kid; he'd probably defeat him in the most despicable way possible and he would never want to be disgraced in such a way. The stories of what the brat had done to Orochimaru....

Kakashi shivered at that.

"Hey Naruto! I have a favour to ask."

Naruto breathed in deeply to steady himself as he glanced up at his friend.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you see, my new Genin team are graduating tomorrow and I need to do a sort of test for them. Wanna help out?"

Naruto grinned and another shiver went down the Jounin's spine.

"Sure!"

'_That was a bit too high to be innocent....'_

Call him a genius, but there was one thing Kakashi felt at that moment...

Sorrow for his team.

ZZZZZZZ

AND CUT! Sorry for stopping here, I was aiming to write more and get the Genin tests totally out of the way. Then I realised that I had almost gone over my 3 day limit and so I decided to post this now! Next chapter will be on Saturday, most probably, so look forward to it!

Jutsu notes:

**Character Use:** Jiroubou  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Defense

Doton: Doro Gaeshi is a defensive Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with their hands, a large wall of earth will rise into place as defense. The defense is not perfect though, a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall.

R&R people!

MegaB


	26. Chapter 26

Alrighty! Welcome to Chapter 26 of K:NP! You're in for a wild ride this time! There'll be ANBU and questions and Sarutobi's sleeping in?!

Anyway, Review highlights time! I first want to say a big 'WELCOME BACK!' to Awesome Incarnate! You haven't reviewed in ages and as one of my first reviewers ever, you hold a very special place with your comments! In response to your review, I highly regard whatever you say so please don't lower yourself to that of some mindless fan that an author wouldn't take note of. So far, every single review I have received has done wonders for me and you especially, along with SunnHinata and KC, will always be the best reviewers to me. It was because of you lot that I continued after chapter 2 remember?

As for the rest, a big thank you to InARealPickle, Kaja'Rang, ^^*, anothvortex, , Mistical Kat, Philosophical CAT (are you two related? You give me some of the best reviews ever and I never fail to smile when I read them!), joteonforever, naruto/harem123 and Dracco. You guys are all awesome for the reviews you sent me, especially , whose review was a '', how cool is that?!

Another big thank you to Dracco, Lord Ezra'eil and Ghille Dhu. Dracco and Ezra gave me some awesome ideas of which a few I have used in this chapter! Ghille Dhu was my 800th reviewer! As I've hit 100k words with this chapter I'm still almost 200 reviews behind my target! A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm very grateful!

Story highlights go to 'Naruto Primer' by Link and Luigi and the illustrious firefly's 'One of the Cool Kids'. They are both shining examples of humour stories on this site, so if you like mine, that's the direction to the true artists of this genre. I'm just a fake lol!

And with that we turn to Chapter 26! Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

ZZZZZZZZ

Chaos reigned for much of that day in Konoha, the ANBU were in such disarray, unable to locate the source of the leaves following their backsides around all over town and this led to a huge drop in security over the few hours since the Village-wide prank had begun. The Sandaime had been found sleeping in once again, this time stuck to his bed with some kind of 'sticky seal'.

Kakashi knew just where to find the blond perpetrator. Naruto would attempt to blend in somewhere heavily crowded; he was skilled enough to literally disappear from the people who didn't know him personally, but for the Silver-haired ex-ANBU captain, he knew exactly how the blond would think in such a situation.

So he'd gone on stake-out, simply sticking around the busiest Civilian sector in the entire Village. The Market District was packed practically nineteen hours of the day, from when the stores and stalls opened to when they closed just before midnight. If there was one place for a Shinobi to disappear in Konoha, it was there.

Normally, it would have been impossible to manage such a thing, the elites of the Village recognised this area of weakness and ANBU patrols were moving through and around the district almost every minute of the day. But today....

The ANBU were....indisposed.

Kakashi wasn't surprised when he caught sight of a flash of golden-blond hair, bobbing at gut height in the crowd. Smirking to himself he skilfully navigated through the crowd so that he would come out right in front of his young friend.

"Yo!"

The 12 year old didn't seem surprised at all to see him and the huge grin stretched on his face said a lot about his achievements that morning.

"Interesting day, neh? I'm so glad I quit the ANBU you know? By the way, wasn't the cloud formation meant to be of the Sandaime picking his nose? That looks like one of your paint bombs gone wrong..."

Their conversation remained light-hearted as they made their way through the crowds, cobblestone streets giving way to greenery and colourful plantation, red-brick buildings morphing into trees and bushes. As they reached the outskirts of the Village a form blurred in front of them.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby under arrest for wilful disruption of the Village along with malicious impersonation of the Sandaime Hokage of K-"

Uzuki Yuugao blanched in shock as the two figures in front of her cracked up in laughter at her antics. Her face coloured as she realised just who they were laughing at.

"K-Kakashi-Sempai! This is no laughing matter!"

Kakashi snorted into his mask, the material bending inwards causing him to gag and sputter at the thin cotton on his tongue.

"Bleargh! Uzuki-san, you and I both know that he hasn't done anything wrong. He's a civ and should be treated as such."

Yuugao was caught staring wide-eyed at her ex-Captain, her lips slightly parted in her shock.

"B-but-"

"No buts!"

The midnight-haired Kunoichi huffed before a slight smile crossed her face.

"Uzumaki-san. I would be honoured if you could inform me how that seal was able to attract leaves alone."

It was Naruto's turn to stare in shock. It had been an innocent question on the ANBU's part, but to Naruto it meant the world that someone was actually asking him for help. Kakashi could only smile softly and watch as his Sensei's son displayed an emotion that he had not seen from the youngster once in all the years of knowing him.

The Uzumaki heir was flustered, embarrassed.

The change in the ex-ANBU captain's demeanour was not apparent. If you had told his previous squad that Hatake Kakashi had smiled softly at a 12 year old civilian out of familial affection they most probably would have laughed. Hatake-Taicho, they would say, had not a single emotional bone in his body unless one of his teammates or the mission were at stake, in which case there would be a sort of calculated anger radiating from him. But outward affection?

No way in hell.

So to Uzuki Yuugao, watching her one time captain's single visible eye soften and look at the blond kid with....admiration? Was something she could scarcely comprehend.

Her respect for the child rose once more. He was in favour with the strongest and cleverest Jounin in all of Konoha and that Shinobi _**respected **_him.

"I....I don't know what to say..."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. That was a bit too confused, even for Naruto. Was he really affected much deeper than even he knew?

"I mean, I can't exactly teach ya' know? I dunno how I could teach, I mean I've never really done anythin' like that before ya' see so..."

The purple-headed Kunoichi crouched down in front of him, her lustrous, straight hair swishing from the movement.

"Uzumaki-san. I didn't ask you to be a Sensei. I just wanted to know what the seal was and how it worked."

Naruto snapped out of his apparent indecision and Kakashi could only chuckle as his normal boisterousness replaced his anxiety.

'_When did he raise his Chakra levels back to normal though? That must be how Yuugao found us. Why is she without her mask for that matter?'_

The answer to the second question clicked immediately in his mind and he chuckled quietly at the antics of his former subordinate. So she had known already had she? She had known all along that she couldn't arrest him, and yet she had still stated it. Was she....joking with them? Or did she just need an excuse to learn what she could from the prank-master?

Naruto tilted his head as he heard his friend giggle under his breath. Kakashi was always weird, one of these days he had to get together with Anko and Shisui and pull something on him again...

The blond prank-master turned back to his questioner who still crouched in front of him, her eyes expectant and alive with the curiosity of someone wanting to learn. That, at least, Naruto could understand; there was nothing quite like overcoming problems when it came to seals although that time he'd tried to 'remote control' his Airboard was still a matter of perplexity to him.

"It wasn't anythin' special really! See, all it was, was a central control seal linked to a Chakra Sticker seal. The Sticker seal was standard issue; I just took the one from an exploding note and cranked up the power a bit!"

For a moment, Yuugao looked startled. Two C-Rank seals?! Was that even possible?

Something didn't quite add up.

"But how did you get it to attract leaves alone?"

Naruto grinned at that. Now THAT was a question!

"Heh, see, the control seal isn't normal like your thinkin'! It has a little bit where you can pass something over it and it will always stick that thing alone!"

"You mean a Chakra Sensor Node?"

Naruto looked at her blankly.

"A what?"

Kakashi snorted loudly this time and the two turned to him.

"Uzuki-san, I think that's what he means. It's ingenious really, to connect the two like that! As far as I know, standard-issue explosive seals don't include a node, do they? They have to stick to any surface after all."

Yuugao looked positively bursting with energy as her face widened into a large smile.

"Ingenious...."

Naruto blushed at the compliment and turned away but not before Kakashi caught a 'thanks, lady' from him. The Dog-Summoner's grin only grew wider at that.

Plus the fact that their impromptu party was about to be kicked into high gear.

The Uzumaki heir didn't know what hit him. One moment he was all hot in the face and staring at the tress and the next he was eating dirt courtesy of the biggest back slap he'd ever had the misfortune of being on the end of.

"Naruto! GOD! That was freakin' awesome man! How the heck did ya' stick Hokage-Sama to his bed?!"

"mmmphmmmhm.."

"Huh?"

The blond pre-teen wrenched his head to the soil with a sickening squelch before glaring at the teenage Uchiha.

"Dumbo! You got mud in my teeth!"

The Kunoichi who had remained quiet up until now couldn't stand by without adding her two cents.

"And that's different how?"

Kakashi snickered at Anko's comment.

"And YOU! STOP LAUGHIN' AT ME!"

Kakashi tugged on the edge of his mask lightly.

"Maa, maa, let's not get too worked up about this guys. I think we all want to know how he managed what he did. But before that, who says he passed?"

"Yup, he definitely gets my recommendation!" Shisui laughed at his own joke.

"I think so too, what about you Anko?"

Yuugao was left staring between the others as it slowly dawned on her what the meaning behind their conversation was.

"Yep! I think you passed Gaki! Although.....What the heck was up with the clouds?!"

Naruto's elation turned to confusion as he raised his head and gazed at the aerial bodies.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why do they look like bogey instead of the Sandaime eating said bogey?!"

Naruto 'hmmd' and 'ohhd' before striking his palm with his fist.

"I know!"

The others boggled at him as he seemingly had an epiphany. The Konoha Jinchuuriki bit his thumb and wiped it on his right forearm, a puff of smoke signalling the release of his trusty camera. Aiming it upwards, he snapped a picture of the clouds before storing it back in his seal. When he turned back to his companions, he found them staring at him as if he had grown another head.

"What?"

Four heads collided with the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT BRAT?! WHY THE HECK DID YA' TAKE A PICTURE OF THE CLOUDS?!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he answered as if there was only one logical answer.

"To show you that it really is Jiji pickin' his nose. See, I can develop 'em and then draw it on for ya'!"

Kakashi sweat-dropped.

"Err...if you draw it on then that's not what you did is-"

"SHUTUP! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!"

The four friends burst into laughter at the banter and Yuugao could only stare in shock and wonder at the feeling of warmth and friendship ensuing from the conversation.

"Wait just one minute..."

"Yes?"

Yuugao almost asked why they all spoke at once, the same question for that matter, before shaking herself and returning to the matter at hand.

"You mean....thi- this was all....planned?"

Silence descended on the entire group.

"This...y-you all put him up to this?! YOU MADE HIM DO THIS AS SOME KIND OF TEST?!"

Kakashi stepped forward lightly, his hand raised in a placating gesture.

"Maa...Uzuki-san, we needed to test his skills and this was the best way of doing it."

Naruto and Anko grinned whilst Shisui laughed at the inside joke. The only one who didn't seem to change was Kakashi, but they all knew he was bursting out in that weird mind of his. Seriously, who the hell displays emotions _inside_ but not _outside_?

The purple-haired ANBU remained silent, her mouth wide open and her eyeballs trembling in their sockets. She didn't even twitch when the blond Jinchuuriki produced his camera to take another shot; this time of her face. Memories had to be preserved!

"Alright! I think we can all say he passed, so you're good to go Naru-chan! Welcome to the gang!"

Whilst the Mitarashi broke into a gig at the fact that her words rhymed and that she was 'so clever', Shisui clapped him on the back, a wide grin stretching his features and Kakashi simply smiled under his mask. There was a distinct undercurrent of euphoria, one that most people would attribute to finding out you did something amazing without knowing it and Naruto hadn't quite caught onto what Anko's words had meant. For so long he had been a student, learning and striving for when the time would come to protect himself. The sudden change in that delicate balance, suddenly becoming an equal to three of the best Shinobi Konoha had to offer was something he was scarcely able to comprehend. But he knew one thing.

He'd been acknowledged, not just by one, but by all of them this time.

The warmth in his chest, the feeling long suppressed from the stress of training and strengthening his resolve, rose up once again, this time fiercer, more _intense_ than ever before. It was with a jolt the Konoha civilian realised that this was what he strove to protect. He had confidence in himself now, something he could not claim too long ago, and the reason for this new found commitment was staring him in the face.

It was good to have friends, he realised, better than anything he had imagined about the word before.

"Saaaaa....I'm off people. Naruto, remember 6AM at training ground 7, neh?"

Naruto nodded distractedly as with a final grin the one-eyed Shinobi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I gotta be off too Naruto! Nice goin' yeah?"

Shisui clapped him on the back one last time before he too disappeared. Anko didn't bother with formalities; she simply strode up to him and ruffled his hair, a proud smile showing her teeth as she gazed at her ex-student.

"Jiraiya's gonna be so pleased when he gets back here..."

Naruto stared up at her in shock. Did she just...

With a wink, she too disappeared. The Uzumaki heir was left standing in the middle of a patch of trees with a near comatose Kunoichi only a metre away. Turning to her, he waved a small hand in front of her face.

"Err...ANBU-san? I'm goin' home now, ok?"

No response. Naruto shrugged lightly and turned to leave. Just as he reached the edge of the trees a small voice crept over him.

"B-but how? How did you hide from us for so long?"

Naruto frowned slightly. Did she mean by his training all these years, or did she mean the five hours he spent hiding after his prank?

"Umm...it's nothin' special really! See, I've always been good at goin' around without anyone noticing me!"

Yuugao didn't answer his statement and instead chose to stare at his back in wonder.

"Bye!"

The purple-haired Shinobi could only wonder what kind of ninja was able to get the drop on the ANBU so effectively that he was praised by one of the most successful ANBU Captains of all time. It was unreal, unforeseeable and yet the blond 12 year old had managed all that and more in the course of a single morning. He wasn't even a Shinobi and yet he had the skills and the forethought of a veteran, able to turn things on their heads with a single glance.

The thing that shocked her most though, was his proficiency with seals; it was unlike anything she had seen or heard of before. The ability to use such a simple seal to do things that shouldn't be possible at that level was astounding.

She found herself wondering whether she should tell the Hokage of her findings.

'_Maybe,'_ she thought _'just maybe...I can do that too...'_

Looking up at the sun so high in the sky, she realised that she had to get a move on. Her patrol was due to end soon and she had to make her report to her new captain. Any and all respect for the man had been greatly diminished after just one day of being under him.

Anyone who walked around with a tree growing from their behinds would be ridiculed by the Konoha population.

'_Poor Tenzou-Taicho. What did he do to deserve Uzumaki Naruto on his first day as a Captain?'_

Giggling lightly, she broke into a fast trot, her smooth purple hair streaming behind her.

XXXXXXX

The next morning broke warm and clear, birdsong heavy in the air as three 'Genin' waited for their Sensei in the middle of Training ground 7. They had been up early in the morning, early enough to be at the ground by 6AM and yet there was neither hide nor hair of their teacher.

For Uchiha Sasuke, he was disgruntled. He had fallen off his bed that morning and found that his alarm clock had been wrapped in brown tape once again, Shisui having taken it upon himself to make his test that much harder. Things had gotten from bad to worse after he had ripped the tape off and found that it was already 6:15. His frantic form had been followed by an equally frantic alarm, one long overdue and the clock was obviously angry at being silenced for so long.

The young Uchiha was forced to believe that his clock was alive or something.

He hadn't had any time to put his hair up in his normal style, although the word 'style' was heavily debated at the kitchen table of the Uchiha's home. Throwing on his battle clothes, he had little time to wash up and steal some small Onigiri from the fridge before dashing off to what could only be a further ruination of his day.

The sun seemed to mock him as it beat down on his back, sweat rolling down his shoulders as he sprinted in the cool morning air. The glorious morning was offset by his dodgy start; he would have loved to simply lie in the grass today, maybe even seeking out his old buddy Shikamaru in the process.

The years had been kind to Uchiha Sasuke, much more so than he would have thought. The death of most of his clan had lain like a shadow over his head after the first day. He had awoken in the hospital to find himself alone; no-one was around when he had regained consciousness, the memory of the night's calamity fuzzy in his mind. Yet his mother and cousin had lived, and the absence of his father from their home had led to a highly relaxed atmosphere, one that the young Uchiha prodigy regretfully enjoyed as compared to the previous highly charged tension that seemed to have become a norm in the clan Patriarch's household.

And then Shisui had started to train him.

It had been slow going at first; many of the things the crazy Uchiha knew were simply too complex for the 'just Academy' student to understand. After backtracking through all the boring bits, Sasuke had been happy at his rapid growth, his uneasiness all but forgotten as he found himself enjoying the company of his family far more than before. His cousin's laid back-yet hand's on, snarky attitude a complete opposite to his elder brother's detached personality. Sasuke found himself content with his life, the bleak past all but a memory long buried in the depths of his mind.

He still mourned their passing, that was for sure, and when the time came and the opportunity presented itself, he would not hesitate to take revenge, but for now, living was a far more important goal.

He glanced blearily at his two teammates, evaluating them objectively. Haruno Sakura, a pink-haired fan-girl whom he had had the misfortune of being around the last five years of his education, and on a daily basis too. She screamed a lot, and yet for all her uselessness she was clever, possibly the cleverest of their graduating class.

His other teammate, Sai, the third and final member of Team 7, was an oddity to the Uchiha prodigy. Not much was known about the boy, especially since he had only joined the Academy at the beginning of their last year. He was quiet and tended to keep himself to himself, in fact Sasuke didn't think he had ever heard the pale boy speak in all his time at the Academy.

Sighing in evident frustration, he looked up at the sun. It was nearly mid-morning now and there was still no sign of their Sensei.

In a puff of smoke, said masked Jounin appeared right in their midst, jerking Sakura from her sleep induced haze and Sai from whatever the hell he was looking at in the trees. Kakashi regarded them with a critical eye, and Sasuke almost snorted as the green-eyed Haruno hastily wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth whilst blushing lightly from embarrassment.

Setting down a small alarm clock on the stump of a tree at the centre of the training ground, he turned to his students.

"Right then. Let's get down to business shall we?"

Sasuke straightened from his slumped position against the side of a great elm, Saukra and Sai stood to attention. The one-eyed Shinobi held up his hand, showing a single bell clenched in his fist.

"See this bell? I've planted two more somewhere in this training ground. To pass the test you have to find and retrieve the bell and keep it in your possession until the clock strikes noon. When the alarm rings the test is over and all three of you fail if you don't have a bell. You pass by obtaining a single bell each. Any questions?"

The Haruno and Uchiha exchanged furtive glances whilst Sai simply nodded.

"B-but Sensei, why are there only two bells? Shouldn't there be three bells, one for each of us?"

Kakashi smirked inwardly as he turned to face the pink-haired girl.

"Oh, that's because one of you is definitely going to fail! Have fun!"

And in a puff of smoke, the test began. As Kakashi hid up in a tree he watched his three prospective students scatter. The Haruno had given a single hopeful glance in the Uchiha's direction before taking off, obviously disappointed to find Sasuke already on his way. The test was set up to pit them against each other, and having the bells hidden would only promote competition as they raced to find it before the time limit was expended.

'_I just hope Naruto goes easy on them...'_

Sighing, he stood from his perch and followed the graduates as they moved out.

XXXXXX

Naruto preened himself as he waited for the test to start. Well not exactly _preened_, he liked to think it as simply 'smoothing his clothes out'. Plus that ghost-like boy was freaking him out by staring at him as he sat on his tree branch. It wasn't like he was trying to hide; frankly he was shocked that only one of the triplet managed to sense him from only fifty metres away.

'_What are they teachin' those guys?!'_

Then again, if TenTen was anything to go by all those years ago....not much. Naruto descended into a contemplative silence. The bun-haired weapons-mistress was a big question mark on his mind. He had no idea what she was thinking now. Had she realised her mistakes yet or was she still blaming him for not telling her his secrets? He was confused by her attitude; she acted normal, as normal as any other stranger or 'acquaintance' would and yet there was a certain frostiness in her personality.

Pride? Arrogance? He had no idea what it was, but it wasn't the animosity from before he had left the Village. So what had changed?

Standing on his branch, his Ryu-Zashi strapped in an 'X' to his back over the top of his newly crafted Airboard, he brushed himself off and stowed the two bells Kakashi had given him in his utility pouch. Without a sound, he hopped to another tree, sticking himself lightly to the surface with Chakra as he followed the 'duck-butt' Genin he vaguely remembered from somewhere.

'_Maybe one of TenTen's classmates back when I pulled that stunt at the academy?'_

That brought a smile to his face, the events of that day had been fun and he remembered really thinking of joining the Academy that day.

How long ago had it been?

Without warning, a moderately sized fireball missed him by inches, the heat searing the right side of his body as it passed. The blond looked down to find a scowling Uchiha glaring at him.

He remembered that face, but he couldn't quite place it. For some odd reason the expression was exactly the same too...

"YOU!"

Naruto sucked in a breath. Had he been recognised? He went to such lengths covering himself in order to hide his identity and he had been caught out so early. What was the point in his new face mask courtesy of Kakashi? Or the wide spread bandanna from Shisui?

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Naruto let out the breath he'd been holding. Luckily he was safe!

"Who me?"

"Yes you! Is there anyone else around?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and the Uchiha suddenly felt a great rush of irrational hate towards this individual even though he had no idea who would be loitering around a Genin training ground at this time of day, especially a pre-booked one.

"Err....the trees?"

Whatever answer Sasuke had been expecting, it wasn't that and his stance faltered as he raised a shaking fist at his opponent staring down at him from the side of a tree.

"How are you standing on a tree anyway?!"

"Huh?"

"The tree dumbo! How are you stuck to the tree?"

"Oh this?" Naruto pointed at his feet.

Kakashi laughed into his hand as he witnessed the scene and he saw Naruto's eyes flick towards him imperceptibly. So he could sense him could he? His Sensei's son was better than he thought; he was masking his Chakra and not even well trained Chuunin would detect him at this point.

"Yes that! How come you're not falling down?!"

Naruto looked at him as if he was stupid, and the young Uchiha got the feeling that he was being looked down on not only physically.

"You mean you don't even know how to tree-walk? Aren't you a Shinobi?"

"Of course I am! Didn't you see my fireball?"

Naruto sweat-dropped. Fireball? That was a Goukakyu, not just any old fireball!

"Err....yeah. Anyway, you want a bell right?"

The blond Jinchuuriki held up his fist from which the two bells hung, jingling softly from the movement. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as he took in the new information.

"H-How do you have them?! Where did you get them from?!"

"Who me?"

"YES YOU!"

Naruto giggled lightly and it only served to anger the Uchiha further.

"Oh, you don't know?"

"I WOULDN'T BE ASKING YOU IF I DID!"

Naruto paused to chuckle again. The masked Jounin couldn't help but feel sorry for Shisui's cousin, Naruto could be infuriating at times and he definitely wasn't used to such behaviour. Shisui was much more open in his jokes and games after all.

"Hmm, where did I get them from again?" Naruto tapped his chin in thought.

The young Uchiha emitted a strangled scream of fury, already speeding through hand seals for a Jutsu. Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Sasuke rested on the Tiger Seal.

'_A Fire Jutsu?! That's too high for an Academy graduate....So Shisui's been teaching him, huh?'_

Naruto yelped in surprise as he sprang to another branch, the raging inferno totally missing him as he dodged.

"Hey! It's like you're tryna ki-"

"I AM TRYING TO KILL YOU!"

Naruto sweat-dropped. That was the best he could do?

A devious grin spread on his face as Kakashi watched the cogs turn in his head. He definitely did not envy the young Uchiha; he was about to be on the receiving end of Naruto's cunning mind, and that always ended with someone in tears.

Naruto brought his hands up and began making hand seals.

'_What Jutsu is that? I've never seen that combination before....'_

Suddenly he stopped, a puff of smoke heralding the arrival of something obscured in smoke. Sasuke's eyes widened in fright as he realised he might be in too far over his head.

"SUPER SOAKER OMNI-PAINT NO JUTSU!"

The blond prank-master pumped the pressure gauge of his modified water gun, a pressurised stream of grey goo erupting from the nozzle and dousing the pitiful Uchiha from head-to-toe. As soon as it settled, the gloop shimmered and turned to every colour in the rainbow. Kakashi winced up in the trees.

'_That's going to take forever to wash out...and that's from experience...'_

Sasuke stood stunned, his entire form frozen in shock. He thought he was in dire straits when he had seen the masked person forming seals. And now he was....

He was....

Covered in paint?

In a roar of anger, he threw himself at the object of his shame as said person landed on the grassy clearing, a triumphant grin visible under his mask. Kunai and Shuriken were whipped out at high speed and hurled at Naruto who was forced to dance around like a tap-dancer to avoid the dangerous projectiles.

"O-Oi! It's like you're tryna hit me!"

"I AM TRYING TO HIT YOU! DIEEEEEEE!"

One of the Shuriken caught the edge of his mask as he jumped, slicing through the strap and through the knot of his bandanna as it whizzed past. The two articles of his disguise fell to the floor and Sasuke froze as he realised the identity of his enemy.

"Y-You..." He breathed.

'_Damn! Now I've been recognised!'_

Without wasting a second, Naruto Shunshined behind the Uchiha and knocked him out with a Hibana to the nerve cluster at the base of his neck. The 12 year old slumped to the ground in a heap, his pale face unnaturally white, with his shocked expression preserved in his unconsciousness.

Naruto laughed and released his camera to take a picture before stowing his water-pistol and gadget back in their seal. Squatting down, he raised the Uchiha's shirt and began drawing in his tummy with a black marker.

Kakashi simply watched from the tree above, curious as to what the blond Jinchuuriki was doing. Was it another seal?

Suddenly, Naruto's head whipped around and his marker slipped in his hand trailing a long line down the Uchiha's side. Cursing he turned to confront the newcomer.

"Oi! What was that for?! Can't you see I'm tryna work here?"

The black-haired Sai, stood expressionless as he regarded the one who had apparently taken the Uchiha down with ease. This one was strong, he could feel it.

Naruto turned back to his seal, before shrugging and making a hand seal. Kakashi blanched and almost revealed his position at that. What was he doing?! An unknown seal was dangerous! Why was he activating it?

"Won't know till I try!"

Kakashi caught the words as they floated up to him. He relaxed as he realised that his friend knew what he was doing. It wasn't a dangerous seal.

In a puff of smoke, the Uchiha reappeared almost indentical to how he was previously.

Sans the long hair.

"There we go! Now his girly look is complete! What do you think mister ANBU?"

Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed as he realised what Naruto was trying to tell him. To Sai's credit, he didn't even flinch.

"Very nice."

Naruto cocked a blond eyebrow.

"You're no fun! What's a gay person like you doin' here? I didn't know ANBU were joinin' Genin teams these days! I mean ain't you meant to be all 'top of the range' and stuff?"

"I'm only a Genin. What makes you think I'm an ANBU?"

Naruto chuckled slightly.

"Oh I don't know! How about the large Chakra supply, or the mask you have tucked into your pants?"

Sai stared down in shock. He was sure he'd hidden that before he'd come here this morning. In his dismay, he realised what the blond was trying to do as he discovered that he didn't have his mask on him. It was back at the hideout.

"GUILTY CONSCIENCE!"

Naruto rolled around on the floor as he laughed at his own antics. Kakashi's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, the foremost of why an ANBU, one that he didn't recognise, was present in Team 7.

On the ground Sai whipped out a paintbrush and a scroll, rolling it out and scrawling something along its length.

"Whatcha doin'?"

This time Sai flinched as the blond appeared at his shoulder, regarding his drawing in curiosity. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was fast!

Kakashi, groaned and stood up. Sai was finished and he didn't even know it. With one last glance, he hopped towards where he knew Sakura was determinedly roaming, no doubt attempting to find her 'Sasuke-kun' in order to 'save him from the gates of doom' or some other ludicrous rubbish.

This would be quick.

XXXXXXX

"CHANGE HIM BACK!"

Naruto clapped his hands over his ears as he stood in the middle of the clearing, all three Genin tied to the posts of training ground 7. The pink-haired girl was screaming at him whilst the Uchiha was struggling to get out of his bonds, obviously incensed over looking like a peacock, this time due to his...colourful make-over and the fact that he had apparently changed genders recently.

"Err...I already tried to."

Kakashi laughed so hard that he bit his tongue and all three Genin stared at him as he suddenly started gagging and retching whilst holding a hand to his mouth.

"WHAT?!"

This time both the Uchiha in question and the pink-head shouted at the same time. Naruto took a step back and glanced at the other member who was doing a bad act of trying to look like he was still unconscious.

"Don't worry!" He chirped. "The ink for the seal usually fades after about two to three weeks or so! When that happens, he should turn back to normal again!"

Kakashi flopped onto his front; apparently he'd knocked himself out from laughing too hard.

"Aaaaanyway! Nice meetin' ya'! I gotta be goin' now see? Bye!"

Turning as he strode away, he couldn't help a last comment to the pink banshee.

"Oh, and I hope you like him still! He's more like you now!"

Sakura screamed in fury as said Uchiha's speech degenerated into mindless mumbling and guttural noises. Sai could only wonder what he was talking about, although he did catch the words 'Kaa-san' and 'Naruto'.

Now they just had to wait for their Sensei to wake up.

That was a highly unorthodox test....

XXXXXXXX

Uchiha Shisui strode down the hallway leading to the Sandaime's office, decked out in full ANBU gear, the Captain's sigils glinting from the light streaming down from the overhead lights. His Lion mask grinned morbidly at anyone who saw it and the intimidation factor only elated the Genjutsu master further.

He was cool, the ANBU were cool, so that made him TWICE AS COOL, right?

Just as he reached the door to the Hokage's office, it opened revealing Maito Gai and his Genin squad; a Hyuuga, a bowl-cut mini-me and a brown-haired girl that he faintly recognised. Shaking himself and nodding at Gai's salute, he strode past them into his leader's office, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"Ah Shishi-san."

Shisui winced at the name. Not only did it sound too close to his real name, but also, didn't it mean 'poo' in one of those other eastern dialects?

It reminded him of Itachi's codename back when he was still in Konoha. It had been the same as his real name.

'_What's the point in that?!'_

"Hokage-Sama, I'd like to request a modified squad for the mission at the outskirts of Nami no Kuni."

The venerable Hokage raised a wizened eyebrow. That was new.

"And who would you suggest?"

"Uzumaki Naruto and Mitarashi Anko. I would choose Kakashi as well but he has a Genin team now and so someone else will have to do."

Sarutobi's pipe fell from his teeth as he stood up in anger.

"Do you not know of the previous incident including Naruto-kun? There is no way he would even listen to such a suggestion, let alone join you on this mission!"

To Shisui's credit, he remained standing exactly where he was and his voice did not change in the slightest.

"And if I asked him directly?"

Hiruzen rested his back in his chair as he sighed in frustration. Raising a wrinkled hand, he massaged his forehead at the suggestion.

"And what would be different from last time?"

Shisui grinned behind his mask.

"Well, I'm his friend, and he trusts me and Anko with his life!"

The Sandaime picked up his pipe as the new ANBU Captain broke his formality. What he was suggesting was hard to believe; Naruto was vehemently opposed to doing anything for the Village and so the old Hokage didn't know how much truth there was to his subordinate's claim.

"And why would you even want him on this mission with you? Are there not any suitable Shinobi among your comrades?"

Shisui returned to his former position, his hands clasped behind his back and his spine rigidly upright.

"I feel they are the best two people to compliment my skills. The mission will proceed far more effectively with them than without."

It was a good argument, Sarutobi realised, yet risking the life of a civilian in such a way....

Wait a minute.

'_Best __**two **__to compliment __**his **__skills?'_ that almost sounded as if young Naruto was on his level.

Shisui could literally see where his leader's thoughts were taking him by the scandalised look that flitted across his visage. His grin only widened at that; Sarutobi knew nothing of his training then?

"I assure you Hokage-Sama, Anko and I will make sure he comes to no harm. The mission will be pulled off without a hitch if he comes along."

The Sandaime Hokage placed his pipe on his lips as he turned to stare out the window of his office. A group of swallows soared past the window, catching his eye as they wheeled in the sky, the sun's rays gleaming off their feathers in the midday radiance.

"Very well, but only with his permission. Also your fourth and final member will be of my choosing. I must warn you that Team 9 will also be in the area under a scouting mission. If you run into Gai, tell him the details and warn him to stay away. Is that understood?"

Shisui felt elated that he was allowed to bring them along and his hasty salute showed hit happiness. The Sandaime sighed as his new ANBU Captain sped out the door like a cat after a mouse. He was slightly anxious at what the outcome of the mission would be. How would Naruto react to such a proposal? In effect, he would be being used again and the venerable Hokage didn't know if the boy would take kindly to such a suggestion.

Then again, the hint that the Uchiha survivor had dropped interested the Sandaime enough to pique his curiosity. How strong had the blond Jinchuuriki become that Shinkirou no Shisui considered him to be on his level?

It seemed he would find out through his own methods.

"Taka! Report to the West gate at 5PM tomorrow. I want you to shadow the group yourself, use a shadow clone in your place. Find out the skill levels of each member of the team and report to me alone once the mission is over. You are not to compromise your identity. Is that understood?"

A small 'HAI!' was heard as a slight breeze played through the room. The room went silent as the Shinobi in the shadows disappeared without a trace.

Only time would tell in this latest development. How would Naruto react?

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Whew, that was a long chapter! Hope you guys liked it! As you can tell, the humour is going to start decreasing slightly as we move onto the serious plot of the story. I have it all planned out and it's going to get HEAVY! Just a quick warning for those who don't know where I'm going with this!

As usual R&R people! Reviews warm my heart and help me write faster!

MegaB


	27. Chapter 27

YOSH! Welcome to chapter 27 of K:NP! I was floored by the amount of new readers that reviewed last chapter! I hit 100 reviews altogether, half of which were for chapter 26! That was amazing! Thank you all very much!

Review Highlights go to (deep breath!) Dragonking20 (Thank you so much for the kind words ;D, I confess I haven't read that, but I'll look it up right away!), Mistical Kat (Once again for asking all the right questions!), anothvortex (don't worry, I'll be introducing all of the rookies soon, I need them for plot purposes after all!), Awesome Incarnate (HEHE! Hey we're all crazy lol!), Haely Potter (You show so much enthusiasm to read my chapters! I'm touched!) and luvindigo empress (Thank you so much! I really enjoyed your review! :D).

Extra special thanks to Inazuma Kanji and Dreamweaver Mirar; thank you for informing me of that mistake, I've changed it up! Also an even bigger thank you to Kanji for reminding me to explain the seals in an author's note, you'll find that at the bottom of this chapter.

I would also like to thank jolteonforever, A Bibliophile and Aisucold. You guys reviewed as many chapters as you could whilst you were reading from start to finish. Jolteonforever especially reviewed as if putting thoughts directly onto the monitor and that has helped me tremendously! So thank you very much!

Story Highlight goes to Ayien's 'The Nine Broken Mirrors'. It is the most intense, emotional, dark, gritty and overall excellent read that was started not so long ago. If you can stomach the description and still look deeper into the plot, I commend you. It's an amazing piece of literature and I've been thinking recently that Ayien needs to write a real book. It's that good.

Anyway, chapter 27 and the start of the ANBU arc. We're approaching the end pretty quickly, so from here on out plot development is going to increase. Enjoy!

ZZZZZZZZ

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, rested his back wearily against the cushion of his high-backed chair. It was a standard desk chair really, and at times it was beginning to squeak from the smallest of movements. Like its user, the joints were getting old.

The venerable leader breathed in slowly, swivelling around to stare longingly out of the window to his office. The towering pile of paperwork that seemed to be ever present next to his working form was now stacked neatly in the outbox, the evening sunset giving way to the blanket purple of night. And as ended the day, so too ended his day's work.

The masses of information swirling in his burdened mind was of the least import at this time. There was a much more crucial event about to occur and the old Hokage had no idea how it would affect Konoha in the coming years.

He knew his days were numbered, that much he could tell. His physique was no longer at the level it used to be and his activity was becoming increasingly laborious after every passing day. The Sandaime wasn't stupid; no matter how many times his subordinates praised his abilities for his age, he knew that slowly but surely his days as Hokage were coming to an end. He had no successor on the table, he didn't even want to think about it after the death of the Yondaime, and yet he knew it was his duty to appoint someone when the time was right.

'_That time has not yet come to pass...'_

He knew he was procrastinating; there were candidates available, not ones that would usually be considered but then the times called for unorthodox measures, the new world far too different than the old one. If one had asked the venerable Shinobi if there could be a civilian using high level ninja techniques twenty years ago, he would have laughed in their face.

Naruto was an oddity by anyone's standards. Born to the most powerful Konoha Shinobi to ever grace the continent and yet condemned to a life of sadness and hardship almost as soon as he had been delivered. He had been scorned and looked down on, yet through it all he had persevered, like the light of a star smothered by the night. Sarutobi wondered how the stars would be in the sky at the same place every single day, no matter how deep and dark the twilight ever was.

His personality was true to his ideals, he believed in everything he did, pushing onwards and carving a path through the jungle that was his life. His heart was pure and content, leaving his actions as a testament to his mentality to the world. It was to be expected that he would hold contempt for the very people that ostracised him, yet he would protect those he loved with all his being. If there was one person Sarutobi could say without a doubt that held the most potential for becoming a Hokage, he would not hesitate to name the blond haired 12 year old.

Sarutobi had made some grave mistakes in his past; putting the Village's needs above those of a child and it had destroyed his image in the eyes of the Uzumaki. The disastrous ANBU mission that he had unwillingly participated in had scarred his life forever; he had become impartial to the safety of his home, insecure in the only place he could live. He had then witnessed a massacre in front of his very eyes, an event that no doubt led to the depression he had fallen into, ultimately resulting in his escape from the Village. All these things stemmed from Sarutobi's failings and now he had begun to see just how badly he had failed the Yondaime's heir.

Sighing, he turned to regard his shadowed office, the blinds swaying gently in the night breeze, moonlight streaming through the gaps every time it could peak through. The venerable Shinobi plodded wearily to his chair and seated himself against the soft cushions. The joints creaked during the motion and a comfortable silence settled over the musty room. Hiruzen closed his eyes slowly, breathing in deeply as he contemplated this latest dilemma.

Shisui was moving into dangerous ground with his proposed idea. If Naruto should react negatively to the request, the old Hokage had no idea what that could mean for the Village. A single person, a child who could reduce the Village to chaos in only a few hours was not someone to trifle with. Given his past background and all that Sarutobi knew about him, it was impossible to deduce what the outcome of such a proposal would be.

'_At the very least, Taka will be there to report to me...'_

His thoughts refused to settle and every time he tried to squash them or force them to the back of his mind, the tear-stained visage of a pale, blond-haired 6 year old would appear in his head, as if testifying for all of the old Hokage's crimes.

Sarutobi reached for his drawer, pulling the storage facility out and rummaging through with wrinkled, bony hands.

'_If I could just see him, maybe I could get some rest.'_

With increasing anxiety, the Sandaime searched through his belongings, looking for his seeing ball in order to confirm the safety of the blond Jinchuuriki.

'_I'm sure it was in this drawer...'_

Sighing, he closed the drawer and opened the one above it only to find that his ball was absent. With rising panic he removed all three drawers from their holders, placing them on the surface of his polished desk and tipping them over.

'_My seeing ball....where is it?!'_

XXXXXXX

Uchiha Sasuke trudged unhappily through the front door of the Clan's main house, kicking his shoes off in a huff and stomping into the kitchen. His mother, Mikoto, was hard at work in front of the stove and so he pulled open the fridge and nabbed an ice pack from the zero-compartment. He raised it to his head and touched it gingerly to the large bump protruding just above his right eye.

Team 7 had passed Kakashi's test, but barely. Having regained consciousness tied to a tree stump along with his other two 'teammates', he had thought they had definitely failed. When Kakashi had fainted after biting his tongue from laughter, the ragtag triplet had been forced to wait for him to wake up. Needless to say they were not amused.

"Ah! Sasuke-kun, welcome home! Would you like something to eat before you wash all that paint off?"

The Uchiha scowled heavily at the mention of paint; why was it that whenever he met that stupid blond idiot, he ended up covered in something? Last time it was mud and this time it was paint. His mother could show some sympathy at least!

Speaking of his mother....

"Kaa-san, you said you knew who this Uzumaki Naruto was before, right?"

Uchiha Mikoto turned her head just enough to glance at her youngest son from the corner of her eye.

"Oh that poor boy! Yes, I know who he is. Why, did you meet him Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke stared stonily at his beaming mother. There was absolutely nothing to smile about.

"He's not poor Kaa-san. In fact, he's my worst enemy. Can you see what he's done to me?!"

Mikoto laughed lightly, the sound like a tinkering bell echoing around the spacious kitchen.

"Oh don't be silly Sasuke-kun! It's only a little paint!"

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"A...A-A little paint?"

His mother nodded resolutely.

"It'll come off in the wash, don't worry! Oh and I see you've decided to grow your hair long like I've been telling you to! You look so adorable!"

Sasuke almost fell to the ground and started pounding his fists until he'd dug a nice, deep grave for himself. He'd been turned into a girl by some stupid seal and his mother thinks he'd simply grown his hair out?! Since when could people grow their hair in one day?!

'_At least Shisui isn't here to see this...'_

"Kaa-san....you are NEVER inviting that guy into this house. Ever."

Uchiha Mikoto simply shook her head in exasperation, a light smile still decorating her face.

"There's no need to hold a grudge Sasuke-kun! Besides, I like the new look!"

If he didn't know it was his mother standing in front of him, he probably would have growled in anger.

"Kaa-san! He turned me into a GIRL! Why the hell shouldn't I hold a grudge?!"

Mikoto's eyes hardened at his statement.

"Language, young man!"

Sasuke nodded sheepishly and her scowl was replaced with another soft smile.

'_Scary...'_

"Don't be silly Sasuke-kun! Just because girls have long hair doesn't mean that you are one! Now go upstairs and wash up before dinner. It will be ready in about twenty minutes! Chop chop!"

Sasuke was left with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

'_S-She.....She actually thinks I'm still a boy...no way....thi-this can't be happening to me! DAMN YOU UZUMAKI NARUTO! NEXT TIME WE MEET I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!'_

On the far side of the Village a certain blond haired 12 year old paused whilst whistling a jaunty tune.

'_Hmm, the world is bright and colourful today! Time for my latest prank!'_

XXXXXX

Uchiha Shisui jumped from rooftop to rooftop as he attempted to locate his blond friend. Naruto was a slippery one at best and usually he would only ever see him if they bumped into each other by mistake or if they had set an appointment beforehand. That made it very difficult to speak to the Konoha Jinchuuriki if an emergency came up, but then again, he could handle himself well enough.

Shisui was stumped this time. Naruto was nowhere to be found within the Village. He'd tried all of their usual hangouts along with the young prank-master's apartment. He had simply vanished from the Village once again. Shisui didn't think he had left for some other place though; he knew that putting himself back into the danger of the outside world after his previous stunts was not a smart thing to do.

If he wasn't in the main Village, maybe he was near the outskirts?

Shisui hopped lightly to the next roof, his feet slipping slightly on the anti-climb paint as he bent and sprung again. Buildings flashed past his eyes as he gazed through the pair of holes in his ANBU mask. Twilight had set in and the sky had turned a deep obsidian, the silver of the stars glimmering in the heavens as the air brushed past due to his rapid movement. He made one final leap before landing gracefully adjacent to the entrance booth of the main gates. The two Chuunin, Izumo and Kotetsu, were lounging around, Kotetsu's head thrown back as he rested in his seat, his feet propped on the counter of the booth and the sound of his snores resounding in the night air.

Izumo simply glared at his sleeping companion, then seemed to notice the presence of the operative even though he had been standing there for more than a few moments.

"A-ANBU-san! What can I do for you?"

Shisui schooled his features; he had a professional image to keep now that he was a captain.

"Have you seen Uzumaki Naruto?"

Izumo started with his lips parted in confusion.

"Well?"

Shaking his head to rid himself from his thoughts, he snapped to attention.

"H-Hai! He came by around mid-afternoon and went up on the wall. He said he was measuring how long the wall was."

Underneath his mask, Shisui frowned. How long the wall was? Sounded a bit fishy to him.

"Is that all?"

Izumo nodded, his hair flapping over his right eye as he gazed confusedly at the ANBU Captain. Shisui nodded back before turning to the ramparts and jumping to the gangway. Without missing a beat, he made his way around the wall as quickly as possible.

The wall was huge, stretching almost a full three hundred and sixty degrees around the Village. The only area that it did not cover was the Southern side and that was because of the mountainous region located there. The geography provided a natural protection and so the wall wasn't needed in that area.

As the Uchiha Survivor strode along the packed sand path he noticed a pair of parallel black lines stretching all the way along. Looking up he sighted his blond friend walking leisurely along the wall, a circular wheel-metre rolling along the ground next to him.

"Naruto!"

The blond gave a start as he paused to gaze behind him. He blanched at first, recognising the mask of the ANBU, but then relaxed as specific design came into view, illuminated in the moonlight.

"Oh, hey Shisui! Wha's up?"

Shisui came to a rest next to his young friend, his fist raising and touching the other's outstretched knuckles in their familiar greeting.

"Nothing much. Just came to ask you some stuff."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. Shisui grinned internally; he had better steer the conversation away from that topic for a bit.

"What you up to down here anyway?"

Naruto grinned mischievously before wagging his finger under the Sharingan-user's nose.

"Nuh-uh! It's a secret! This is for a prank I'm gonna use later!"

Shisui chuckled at that. He couldn't wait to see what the blond preteen had thought up this time. They continued walking side-by-side, the wheel driving along beside them, its colourful surface shadowed in the evening darkness. Shisui glanced at his companion from the corner of his eye; the sapphire eyes he liked so much gazed forwards, taking in the world around them with an excitement and enthusiasm scarcely found anywhere in the world.

"Neh....Naruto."

"Hmm?"

Shisui stole another quick glance at the blond before turning to stare ahead.

"Umm...ya see, I got thi-"

"FINISHED!"

Shisui tripped over his feet in surprise and landed in a cloud of sand on the floor of the rampart. The Uzumaki heir glanced down at his friend with a wide grin stretched over his face.

"Y-you...W-wha? What's goin' on?!"

Naruto hefted the wheel metre onto his shoulder, a copious amount of black ink dripping from its edge.

"I finished the prank of course!"

"W-..You mean you were measuring the wall as a prank?!"

The Uchiha Survivor could only look up in shock and confusion as his friend shook his head.

"Nah! I was drawing a huge line to connect my seal to the floor around the entire place! Pretty cool, huh?"

"Wait, what?! You covered the entire wall in a seal?"

Shisui had a sinking feeling in his gut. What kind of wide-scale seal was he using this time?

"Naruto....what does this seal do exactly?"

Naruto bonked him on the head with his wheel, the ink leaving a big smudge ob his forehead.

"No questions! You'll find out when I use it!"

The legendary Shinobi pushed himself to his feet, scrubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand to try and get rid of some of the ink. He groaned as the ink only smudged further, leaving a long rough line trailing from right-to-left, temple-to-temple. Shaking his head in exasperation, he rubbed his hand on the back of his shirt.

"Naruto, I was assigned a mission today to the outskirts of Nami no Kuni. It's my first mission as an ANBU Captain and I was granted permission to form my own team."

The blond-haired Jinchuuriki tilted his head in confusion.

"And you're tellin' me this, why?"

"I want you to come along."

The area descended into silence. Shisui was unnerved when even as he strained, he couldn't hear the sounds of the animal wildlife so abundant in and out of Konoha. He anxiously swung his gaze back to his young friend attempting to gage his reaction. Naruto's head was lowered, his eyes shielded by the locks of blond hair draped over his face. The lower half including his mouth was shadowed in the evening light and Shisui couldn't pick out any feature that would hint as to how his friend had taken it.

"....you too, huh?"

The question was whispered, the only sound in the depths of the night, the darkness a testament to his sudden unease at the situation. The last vestiges of moonlight were slowly obscured as the moon hid its face behind a cloud; the irony grated on the Uchiha's nerves.

"Did you sell me out, just like Jiji?"

Shisui gaped at the statement.

"What? NO!-"

"DID YOU BETRAY ME, JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM?!"

The Uchiha stepped back at the venomous shout, his eyes widening at the sudden animosity displayed by his usually cheerful friend. His attitude had done a complete one-eighty, the light disappearing from his eyes apart from a small ominous glimmer, as if warning the ANBU Captain of the danger evoked by his foolishness. He should have known that Naruto would react like this; he should have recognised the insecurity displayed from the Sandaime's previous stunt, and yet he had ignored the signs as if he was blind to the young Jinchuuriki's feelings.

How could he have been so _stupid?_

"N-Naruto! It's not like that! I'm not using you! I genuinely want you to come along. You and Anko!"

Naruto turned swiftly, the glow of Chakra already emanating from the soles of his feet. The moon peaked around the side of its obstacle, the faint rays catching a pair of tears as they fell to the ground like stars in the night sky.

"Naruto wait! I swear it! We trust you! That's why we want you with us. Forever!"

He jumped, hard and fast, the sandstone cracking from the force of his motion. Shisui stretched out his hand as if to catch him, his parting words on the edge of his lips.

"..._forever."_

He was left to watch in sorrow as his friend jumped further and further away, his measuring wheel lay forgotten at the side of the sand gangway. Shisui trudged towards it and picked it up. The ink seemed to have dried in the time they had talked.

'_First Itachi and now Naruto...'_

The image of his best friend flashed across his mind's eye, his crimson eyes burning like smouldering flames in their sockets, the slight glitter of tears at the edge of his eyelids.

"_Shisui, there is no time for this. You do not comprehend the situation at this moment. I have not the time to explain it to you."_

_The memory of releasing a Kunai, the blade withdrawing, an inch away from taking his life._

"_Why?"_

"_On orders."_

In a flash he realised where his thoughts were leading him and he swung around to face the retreating figure of Konoha's Jinchuuriki.

"IT WASN'T AN ORDER! I WAS ASKING YOU MYSELF!"

Naruto paused as he landed on a rooftop in the distance before taking off into the night once again.

He was so _stupid_ it was unbelievable. He, Kakashi and Anko knew the kid best, having trained him and spent time with him as much as they could the past three years. They understood him better than anyone.

Anko was going to kill him.

Sighing, he turned and hopped from the ramparts to the ground within the Village. His feet crunched on the surface of some dry leaves as he bent to soften the force of his landing. He straightened stiffly, glancing quickly at the entrance booth to find Kotetsu staring at him with a perplexed expression. He waved robotically, his mind on auto-pilot, before striding back towards Konoha. The mission would be much harder without Naruto, but he had no choice. He might as well get some sleep before he had to sign in the other two. The mission was scheduled for a 5PM departure, maybe he had enough time to get another member to join.

As Shisui left, the path returned to its usual silence, only broken by Izumo's snores. Kotetsu looked down at his sleeping best friend.

'_Tch, lazybones. And he complained when I was sleeping...'_

XXXXXX

In the bowels of Konoha, far below the luscious surface of the Village where fauna and flora reigned supreme, an old man stood waiting in the middle of a large chamber. There were four paths leading off from the centre stage, bright lights illuminating the vast room as they hung from the shadowy ceiling far above his head.

In a flash of black and grey, a young figure appeared kneeling in front of the man. The one-armed Cyclops inclined his head to glare down at his subordinate, the bandages wrapped around his head and the right side of his face rustling due to the movement. His hair was a warn brown, the wrinkles of his face drawn and creased as a fleeting look of disappointment crossed his visage.

"Sai, why is it that you look like a rainbow today? Was Hatake-san's test too hard for you?"

The pale, porcelain-skinned youth remained crouched in front of his leader, his head bowed in shame as the elder took in his battered and beaten state, the generous amount of paint splattered all over his torso.

"I ran into some...problems."

"Oh? And what are these problems?"

Sai looked up to see his mentor gazing at him with a slight hint of humour, a single eyebrow raised.

"Hatake-san enlisted the help of an...outsider, in his test."

Danzou turned his back to his underling, the displeasure in his voice overcoming his mask as he ground out his next few words.

"And which outsider, pray tell, was strong enough to put you in such a state?"

Sai remained in position, noting the faint threat in his mentor's voice. Danzou wasn't known for having the best temper in Konoha, even among the elders, but for some reason he was very angry at his condition.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The old war-hawk's eyes widened at Sai's answer. It was lucky his back was turned to the boy; he didn't want his image to be ruined by showing such evident surprise to his Shinobi.

"You say this...Naruto, did this to you?"

Sai noted that the elder uttered the name as if disgusted.

"Hai, Danzou-Sama. He was far stronger than I thought and he managed to put me in this condition."

The veteran stroked his beard in thought as he pondered the possibilities that were presented to him by this development. If Sai was as strong as a low Jounin and the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was stronger than him, which would make him....

A light bulb appeared above the old man's head.

"As strong as a Jounin!"

Sai's eyes widened at the apparent excitement in his leader's voice. Danzou-Sama was....happy?

"Don't stare at me like that!"

Sai lowered his head immediately in shame.

The old Shinobi's walking stick clattered to the floor as he rounded on his protégé in annoyance. How dare he look at him like he was crazy?! He had put him on a Genin team for a reason-

Wait, what was the reason again?

"Sai, remind me why I have put you on a Genin team."

Said ROOT operative's back straightened rigidly at the order.

"Hai, Danzou-Sama! You put me there because..."

"Well?"

Sai shook his head.

"You didn't tell me the reason sir. You felt that I didn't need to know. It was why you gave me my name after all."

Danzou attempted to hide his disappointment by turning around, but the bleach-skinned youth noticed the tension in his teacher's stance.

'_Damn! How could I have forgotten such a crucial thing?!'_

"Danzou-Sama, are you alright?"

The old man's cross-shaped scar on his chin stretched as he snapped at his underling.

" I'm fine! Now get out of my sight!"

Sai rose obediently, limping slightly as he made his way to the door on the east side of the chamber.

"And clean up all this paint you've left on the floor!"

'_Damn juveniles! Can't even do their business in the toilet these days...'_

Danzou blanched as he remembered his apparent lack of memory.

'_I can't be going senile! I must have those memories in here somewhere! Why would I put an ANBU operative on a Genin team unless it was a dastardly devious plan to upstage the whole Village and take control of the Hokage's position...'_

The old War hawk descended into a bout of evil laughter, once again his thoughts slipping out of his mind.

"ARGH! I'M GOING SENILE!"

He suddenly realised that he'd shouted out loud and he glanced around fearfully to make sure Sai had left. The chamber was empty save for himself.

He deflated as he blew out a long breath of relief. Muttering about insubordination and other such thoughts, he tuned and hobbled towards his sleeping chambers. He had better sleep on this problem before thinking on it tomorrow. He froze mid-step.

'_What was the problem again?!'_

XXXXXXX

Naruto curled up on the duvet of his bed, his hands clutching at the sheets as his tears poured from his eyes. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't cry again. After the events of his past he had swallowed his grief, locking it in the deepest pits of his mind so that he would never have to face the soul-shattering feelings that plagued his mind at present. He resented his tears, an angry hiccup popping from his throat.

It just hurt _so much._

He knew what it felt like to be betrayed. All those years ago when he had first been betrayed by the Sandaime, he had vowed to never feel this sadness ever again, to build his own life around the light in his life and not look back. When TenTen had left him back then, he hadn't felt anything, only a hollow feeling in his gut and a tasteless flavour on his tongue. He'd been confused and maybe a little angry, but he hadn't cried, he hadn't even come close.

So why did it hurt so much this time?

Was it because he was closer to Shisui? Was it because he had known deep down that TenTen could never share in his secrets without leaving him? Shisui, Kakashi and Anko knew some of his secrets but they didn't run. Was that why it hurt?

Because he trusted them with his life and then they betrayed him?

He shook his head, angrily wiping his tears from his eyes and the moisture running down his cheeks. Kakashi and Anko hadn't done anything, it was Shisui's decision, or that's how he explained it. But why was he so angry about this? Shouldn't he be happy that they wanted him to be with them?

'_They would use me, just like Jiji did. I-I don't think I could handle that...._

"_...not again."_

His voice came out as a whisper as he wrapped his arms around his legs, pulling his body into a tight ball as if to staunch the pain like a doctor would a bleeding wound.

Was this how he was destined to live? Trying to make a place for himself only to have his world come crashing down again and again? What was the point in building it back up only to have it destroyed another time?

"_Naruto wait! I swear it! We trust you! That's why we want you with us. Forever!_

_IT WASN'T AN ORDER! I WAS ASKING YOU MYSELF!"_

He grimaced as the words resounded in his head like a hammer striking an anvil. Who could he believe? What could he believe? What around him was truth or falsehood?

'_In truth lay lies, and in lies lay truth.'_

Naruto didn't realise that it wasn't his subconscious speaking to him. Was it an illusion, was his whole life simply a farce for him to struggle and strive yet fall to his knees at every obstacle? He was so sure of himself, so motivated to meet his challenges head on that he had never stopped to question the basis for his resolve. Not in a long two years.

"_IT WASN'T AN ORDER! I WAS ASKING YOU MYSELF!"_

Naruto buried his head deep into his soft covers, his tears of frustration wetting the material. Shisui had always helped him, always been there beside him to help him up as he fell. Anko and Kakashi too; they were like family to him, even though he barely understood the meaning of the word. But he felt like himself when he was with them, he felt like he didn't have to act like someone he wasn't; he could just be himself whether it was planning a new prank or devising his newest craziest seal. They would simply smile at him and encourage him; he never had to hide anything from them.

"_...It wasn't an order...I was asking you myself..."_

Naruto gasped as the full implication of the Uchiha's shout hit him like a sledgehammer. He hadn't...asked because of Konoha.

He'd asked because he truly wanted to be with him on the mission.

The blond 12 year old untangled himself from his covers, standing slowly in the pale moonlight. He padded over to his bedroom window, the cold wooden flooring chilling the soles of his feet as he walked. Stretching out his hand, he unhooked the latch on his window and pushed it out, the slight breeze of the cool evening air washing over him and drying any remaining liquid on his face. The silvery moonlight flashed as it caught the edge of something at the corner of his eye and he turned to his photo board.

His eyes widened as he took in the large number of pictures pinned, taped and glued to the front of the display. A vast majority of them depicted Shisui laughing, joking and enjoying his company; the one of a clown-faced Sharingan user standing out amongst the rest. Had he been overreacting all this time?

What was he truly afraid of?

The question rebounded around his psyche as he stared down at his hands. He recoiled as the image of his blood-soaked digits appeared in his mind, the memory of the Uchiha Massacre returning to the forefront of his thoughts. People had died that day, large groups of them. Humans that had been living, breathing and laughing, just like any other human. Yet their lives had been snuffed out as easily as a candle, all because of one person.

Uchiha Madara.

Naruto shook his head again. No, he was no longer afraid of the old Uchiha, he was long past that phase. He would face him when he came, just as he had planned for all these years. He remembered his resolution at the Valley of the End, the second time he had visited the waterfall. He would prepare for his trial and when the time came, he would fight to the bitter end with every fibre of his being.

So then what was he afraid of?

His hands trembled as he realised what the answer to his question was. It wasn't betrayal, it wasn't the threat of his enemies, it was far simpler than that, something that had lain dormant in his soul all his life. A snake that reared its ugly head whenever he got into a predicament, attempting to strike him down with the depression and ostracism from his early days in Konoha.

He was afraid of death.

'_Am I afraid of killing, or of death itself?'_

He didn't know the answer to that question. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to handle it like a normal Shinobi could. Some of them were driven mad from their experiences; Anko's stunts, Kakashi's laziness and perpetual reading habits. Evidence for his realisation was all around him, he just hadn't seen it until now. It wasn't just him whose past was affecting his mind. They had all faced some of the same problems, but they had expressed them in a very different way.

So if not killing, then death itself.

What could he do to solve this problem? Would he turn into a mindless killer like Madara? Was there even a solution to his fear? Again, he couldn't answer his question, yet he knew that the reason for his actions towards Shisui had been entirely his fault. He was scared and he'd taken that fear out on his friend in the form of anger. In that regard, he was the same as what he thought Shisui was initially.

How very hypocritical of him.

Naruto plumped down onto his bed and rolled over so he was facing away from the window. Without a sound he drifted into sleep. A sleep plagued with his memories.

Memories of carnage and destruction. How he wished he could escape from them even in his dreams...

XXXXXXX

Taka stood in the middle of the large open space between the two colossal gates of Konoha. Taka was totally covered, head-to-toe, Taka's mask covering Taka's face and a beige cloak pulled around Taka's body, the hood pulled up over Taka's head revealing only the grinning 'Taka' mask.

It was to this sight that Shisui arrived, the Hokage's ANBU operative silent as a stone as the two were forced to wait for their last member. The sun was low in the sky; with sunset at hand the team of three were to make good time to the outskirts of Wave Country. Shisui regarded his teammate critically; he didn't know much about most of the ANBU operatives, only having joined recently himself, but he knew the significance of the beige cloak. Taka was either a personal guard of the Sandaime, or Taka was a Captain as well.

Shisui glanced around as he felt Anko's Chakra signature nearing their position. He wouldn't tell her of the events of last night until later, maybe even after they had returned. One thing was for sure though; he was definitely not looking forward to the harsh treatment she was sure to dish out when she did hear it.

As the Mitarashi landed silently next to the pair, her cream trench cloak billowing out as she crouched to damp her landing, Shisui signalled with his hand and readied to take off into the trees. He paused as he felt another large Chakra signature approaching rapidly.

That felt like...

"OHAYO GOZAIMASUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The exuberant blond landed right in the middle of the trio, a massive jug of water felling its contents all over them whilst the equipment itself landed with a resounding 'thump!' on the Uchiha's head. There was silence for a few moments.

"N-Naruto! What are you doing here?! I thought you didn't want to..."

He trailed off as Anko turned her curious, soggy gaze onto her captain.

"Oh, I just thought I'd tag along! You don't mind do ya'?"

Shisui shook his head quickly, his heart softening at the warm smile the blond flashed in his direction. The Konoha Jinchuuriki spared a glance at the silent ANBU who hadn't moved an inch, even after the freezing cold water had bathed the operative's clothes. He shrugged lightly.

"Well? Shouldn't we get goin'?"

Shisui nodded distractedly. Naruto suddenly cowered as a large amount of Killing Intent slammed down on his shoulders.

"BRAT! WHAT THE HELL?! YOU SOAKED ME AND NOW I'M FREEZIN'!"

The Uzumaki heir laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Ehehehe...yeah...sorry about tha-"

"I'M GONNA KILL YA' GAKIIIIIIIIIII!"

Naruto yelped and took off into the trees closely followed by a furious purple-haired snake-mistress. Shisui sighed but the wide smile on his face at Naruto's sunny attitude seemed to contradict it. Signalling, he too took off in the same direction. Taka was left standing in the middle of the road, a large sweat-drop on Taka's head.

Taka took off into the trees, following his three teammates.

After a minute, a figure identical to Taka shot out from the shadows of the buildings before the gate, also taking the same route as the impromptu Konoha team.

The real Taka thought that this mission would be very interesting.

Maybe Taka would learn something new?

Taka smiled beneath Taka's mask. Oh, how Taka loved learning new things!

ZZZZZZZ

AND CUT! Alright, Chapter 27 people! Hope you all liked it! As promised, here are the notes on sealing just so you understand all the terminology I have been using:

The Fuuinjutsu in K:NP is derived totally from the canon understanding. Jiraiya stated that the Shiki Fuujin (The seal holding the Kyuubi within Naruto) was actually made up of more than one seal, each seal controlling a different function for its usage. In K:NP, seals are used with that thought in mind; to do one thing you use one seal. In order to achieve multiple results you need to combine the same number of seals. Naruto uses seals in this way and so far every seal has followed this theory.

Direction Seals – This was the terminology I used for the seals used to change direction of his Airboard. I mentioned in Chapter 24 that these were actually Elemental Control seals and I'm explaining them below.

Control Seals – There are two types: Elemental and Standard. Standard Control seals are used to control another seal whereas Elemental Control seals are to control a specific type of Chakra, in Naruto's case, Wind. Control seals can be used to connect up a vast majority of seals and it's my understanding that the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki used alongside the Shiki Fuujin were actually Control seals. So in effect, you can use a normal to control any other type of seal remotely whereas the Elemental ones are only to control that specific element, hence why he could achieve the effect he needed with the Airboard. He also used this seal when he mistakenly controlled the Hyuuga; it was linked to a Wind Element Control seal which itself was linked to another seal that looked like the Hyuuga's Caged-Bird Seal, that's why Jiraiya thought it looked familiar! ;D

Chakra Sticker Seals – These are standard issue on most paper seals in order to have them stuck to any surface. Naruto modified this by increasing the attractive power and also connecting it to a Chakra Node (explained below!).

Chakra Sensor Nodes – These seals are essentially used to monitor changes in the environment. By linking this to a Sticker Seal, Naruto was able to modify it so that it would identify leaves only, hence the prank on the ANBU in Chapter 25. It is my opinion that the Shiki Fuujin is a type of CSN; it adjusts itself according to the output of Kyuubi's Chakra, yet it only works for that Chakra, not anything else.

So there you have it! Just so you know, I DO ACTUALLY HAVE THESE THINGS FIGURED OUT WHEN I MAKE THEM UP LOL!

Oh and before I forget, that measuring wheel...It's one of those things we used to use in science classes back in secondary school; the ones whose circumferences are exactly one metre and you wheel them around and every time it does one complete revolution it gives off a 'click'. You can measure things by counting the clicks. Anyone used them before?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Do give me your opinions, which would be much appreciated!

R&R people!

MegaB


	28. Chapter 28

WOOHOO! I HIT 1000 REVIEWS! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far, I couldn't have done it without the amazing support and commitment that you've given me! I deeply apologise for not having this out on Saturday as promised; I hurt my finger and could only type really slowly and then decided to stop allowing access to my login... 

Review Highlights go to anothvortex (Thank you very much for the idea however there are a few reasons why I can't use it, I'll explain why below!), xHakumeix (Thank you so much! This was my favourite review actually, the wording was quite effective!), luvindigo empress (you guessed too close to home on two counts! I told you which ones so remember how much I value your input!), Haely Potter (Another amazing review, plus Haely wasn't feeling well! Everyone pray that she gets better quickly!) and Philosophical CAT (YES! ONCE AGAIN! What can I say? Your reviews are so amazing that they blind me with their stunning light!).

An extra special 'Thank you to CAT for correcting my mistakes! I don't know what I'd do without you!

Anothvortex, I can't use your idea because to do so would be to mess around with the plot I already have developed. Without giving out any spoilers, I really on canon events to back the plot in K:NP so having an unbreakable defence would kind of defeat the purpose! Thank you for the idea though, I hope what I do have will be just as good!

RANDOM THOUGHT: BEST CARTOON OF 2008 HANDS DOWN...XAM'D: LOST MEMORIES!

Story Highlight goes to Surarrin's 'An Alternate Path'. It has a similar name to another story I have advertised in the past but let me tell you...this story is the only one of its kind. It's true quality and I heard that Rin is going to start rewriting it at some point. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you do; it's the only convincing 'Hyuuga Adoption' Naruto story on this site!

And now for what you've all been waiting for! Chapter 28 of K:NP! ENJOY!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Hatake Kakashi plodded leisurely down the hallway to the Hokage's office. Outwardly, he projected an air of nonchalance and indolence but his mind was another story. His brain was a whirlwind of thoughts, calculating, analysing and revising assumptions and previous conclusions that he had drawn. If someone were to see him as he walked, they would automatically presume that his mind was stuck in the orange book his hand held close to his face.

They couldn't be further from the truth, at least in this instance. Kakashi wasn't one to miss the hints given to him; in the days of his youth he was known as a genius, an up and coming legend, the true son and heir of the one and only White Fang. His lineage, skill and efficiency were shown regularly as he rose through the ranks, making Chuunin at the age of six and Jounin just before his thirteenth birthday. His record was one of achievement after achievement, a golden Shinobi by anyone's definition.

Yet he wasn't perfect and he would be the first one to say as much. His past was a shadow on his mind, ever present no matter where he was or what he was thinking about as if the very world weighed down on his shoulders. The Silver haired Shinobi suffered from his mind lingering in the past, unable to forget and move on from the mistakes he had made. His mind was still formidable though, and he wasn't one to miss even the smallest of things where his field required it.

Naruto had been telling him something. During the test he had gone out of his way to label and expose his student, a 'Genin' by the name of Sai. Kakashi had been handed the pale boy's file when he had been granted a new team and even then there was not much to go by.

Sai was an orphan, having become so due to the Kyuubi attack twelve years prior. His mother and father had been killed living in the outer districts; his father a Chuunin at the time, unremarkable in terms of strength or accomplishment. His mother was a Civilian, the owner of a small beauty salon near the upbeat Market District much further in. The boy himself had been handed over to an orphanage after the attack and from there it was a simple story of sadness and despair as all orphans, Kakashi included, always seemed to acquire.

There was a blip though, one that Kakashi had noticed at the time but hadn't questioned, he had trusted the Sandaime's judgement on the matter implicitly. Sai didn't have a birth name, and whilst unusual, that wasn't what piqued the elite-Jounin's interest. The amateur artist had disappeared off the map at the age of eight. No one had heard from his, talked to him or even seen him until he reappeared in the academy a year ago. Officially, he was simply 'lost' but Kakashi didn't trust that explanation.

If he truly was an ANBU, or taken into the recruitment program when he had disappeared, Kakashi would have known about him. He had been 'lost' a year before the sole heir of the White Fang had handed in his mask, there was simply no way that the boy could have avoided detection whilst accepted into the ANBU training program.

What was he missing here?

Snapping his book shut, he came to a stop outside the Sandaime's door. As he placed his novel back into his utility pouch, he tilted his head to the side, pondering whether to forego the door this time; Hokage-Sama needed to be kept on his toes too after all. Sighing, he Shunshined beyond the door and was met by a very strange sight.

The Hokage's office was a mess, files and documents scattered all over the place. Kakashi went on guard immediately; it looked as if a violent fight had taken place just moments ago. He relaxed when he saw the Hokage's form hunched over a shelf in the far-left corner of the room feverishly searching through the bookcase for something. Folders and portfolios were being thrown with reckless abandon and Kakashi almost gawked at his superior's voracity.

"Ummoo...H-Hokage-Sama?"

Sarutobi jumped in shock. The ex-ANBU captain frowned lightly; what was bothering him so much that he didn't realise that he was in the room?

"K-KAKASHI!"

The venerable Village's leader squawked in surprise, his back still turned.

"KAKASHI! HAVE YOU SEEN MY BALL?!"

The Silver-haired ninja blanched.

"W-What?! S-Sandaime-Sama, I don't swing that wa-"

"KAKASHI!"

The Dog-Summoner stepped back slightly at the urgency in his commander's voice. The elder Shinobi turned around slowly, his left hand clutched tightly over his eye, his mouth a rictus of agony.

"My ball, Kakashi! My seeing ball!"

The elite Jounin's brain went blank, every single piece of information dribbling away like the last vestiges down the drain of a bathroom sink.

"H-Hokage-Sama....you lost your eye?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed despairingly, allowing his hand to fall from his face revealing a perfectly healthy eye in its wake.

"Kakashi....my seeing ball, the one I use to check the Village."

Kakashi began to sweat as he realised what the Sandaime was asking him. His mind kicked back into gear, his thoughts roaring ahead as if in protest of coming to a stop a moment before. Hadn't that been one of Anko's constituents in her test? Naruto should have it and if he had it, that means Anko was most likely to be in possession of the ball. The only problem was, Anko was out of the Village on a mission.

Naturally, the Hatake lied through his teeth.

"Err...No?"

The Sandaime sighed again. Shaking his head, he stood slowly, his old bones groaning from the strain of sitting in one position for too long. As he straightened a small leaf of paper was dislodged from his head and floated down to the ground beside him.

"What can I do for you then, Kakashi?"

The White Fang's son saluted smartly, his back still slouched as a direct contradiction to his action.

"I came to ask why an ANBU member has been placed on my team."

Any fatigue shown in the old Hokage's features disappeared in an instant.

"What do you mean? I was not aware that an operative was part of your squad."

Kakashi strode forward until he was an inch away from the edge of his leader's desk. In one smooth motion he tossed a thin, magnolia folder onto the surface where it slid before coming to a rest right before the Hokage. Sarutobi frowned as he picked it up. The Hatake heir stood quietly as his superior cracked the file open and scanned its contents.

"Codename: Sai. No background after the age of 8. Naruto and I both noticed how his Chakra levels are far above that of most Chuunin and he was capable of ANBU-level stealth techniques."

Sarutobi glanced up, a single greying eyebrow raised in enquiry.

"Naruto?"

"Hai Hokage-Sama. I had Naruto help out with my Genin team's test."

This time it was the Hokage that blanched.

"You did what?!"

"I needed someone who my team had no connection to, someone who could appear and not draw much attention to himself. The test was an alternative to the original bell test; I used all of the important aspects whilst building on the confusion and rivalry that was bound to result. During the course of the test Naruto fought both Uchiha Sasuke and Sai. He immediately concluded that Sai was an operative or on that level. I would like an explanation."

Sarutobi set the file down carefully. He gripped the handle of his high-backed chair and pulled it behind him and then took a seat.

"Konoha are not in the habit of allowing ANBU into Genin teams Kakashi."

"Then what of his abilities?"

Sarutobi stared down at the closed file, his facade a mask of contemplation. Sai was not an ANBU, at least, not officially. Every member admitted to the program came in by his permission and his alone. The twelve year old had never been signed up, and that was something that Sarutobi was not likely to forget; he had sworn never to allow another Itachi into the ranks again.

"I confess that I am confused of you and Naruto's conclusion. Are you sure that he is capable of such things, or are you looking too deeply?"

If Kakashi hadn't had his facemask on he probably would have looked scandalised at that suggestion.

"I'm sure Hokage-Sama. I trust Naruto's judgement too."

The Sandaime stared up at his subordinate, carefully scrutinising his features for any sort of deceit. He wasn't lying; he truly trusted his Sensei's son implicitly. Sarutobi frowned internally at the ever growing question of Uzumaki Naruto's skill. First Shisui had dropped that hint and now Hatake Kakashi, both on or above ANBU Captain Level. His curiosity only increased. What would he find when the impromptu team returned from their mission?

He turned to stare out of the window, the small pane of glass revealing an over cast Konoha, a rarity in mid-summer. At least it wasn't raining, the Sandaime really hated rain.

"This point is moot, Kakashi. As you know, I am the one who signs the acceptance forms for any and all admissions into the ANBU program. I have never signed an acceptance for this child."

Kakashi's frown deepened. Was it possible that a 'Genin' could fool everyone so easily? His mind turned to Naruto, but he dismissed that thought immediately. Naruto was different, both in circumstance and in experience. He could not be compared to anyone else in the Village save the Hatake himself. The only other person he even minutely resembled was Uchiha Itachi, but Sai was nowhere near the two.

If he wasn't an ANBU, where did he learn those skills?

The ex-ANBU Captain was broken from his thoughts by the tired words of his commander.

"Now if you don't mind, Kakashi, I have a seeing ball to find. Do tell me if you hear anything?"

The Silver-haired Jounin sweat-dropped lightly, nodding a little too fast although the Hokage was already caught up in his search once again. Turning he Shunshined out of the room.

"AND USE THE DOOR!"

XXXXXXX

"So....What was that about?"

Anko and Shisui lay side-by-side on the grass of a hillock on the border of Fire Country. The Mitarashi was idly spinning a Kunai on her index finger although her attention was focused on her companion.

"What was what about?"

They had made camp the previous night having made good progress to their destination. In one day they had almost cleared Hi no Kuni, reaching almost to the edge of the mainland. Wave Country's new bridge would be coming up very quickly if they had continued; they were about a half hour's run from the colossal landmark but Shisui wanted his team rested before they moved in.

"You said just before we left, 'Naruto, what are you doing here, I thought you didn't want to...' What didn't he want?"

Shisui was tearing up inside at those words. He'd been putting off telling his friend of the strange conversation between him and Naruto but Anko was a bit more perceptive than he gave her credit for. Rolling onto his side he stared at the purple-haired Jounin.

"What would you do if Naruto ran away from you?"

Anko's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you-"

"What would you do?"

Shisui stared at her with a calculating look in his gaze, one that unnerved the Kunoichi in its intensity.

"W-Why would he run away?"

Shisui sighed before rolling onto his back. He stared up at the puffy, white clouds drifting aimlessly above, the sun shining weakly through. A chill breeze blew through the area, rustling the leaves and grass and swaying the boughs of the trees to their right side.

"When I found out about this mission, I thought that you, Naruto and Kakashi would be the best teammates to pull it off. We all work really well together and we've been training 'Ruto for so long. If anyone could work with us it was him. I got permission from Hokage-Sama so that he could come along, but he warned me.

He warned me that Naruto might act weird if I asked him."

Anko bit her lip in thought, her mind going back to that disastrous mission so many years ago when she had been a rookie ANBU member herself, under Uchiha Itachi. She could vividly picture the sight of a blond child, trembling in fear and shock as a traitorous Konoha Shinobi had been struck down in front of him, his life bleeding away in front of his eyes. She had known that Naruto would suffer adversely from that experience; he had gone into shock, his bastardised Chakra Beacon technique left to spill forth unchecked until he had finally collapsed from Chakra Exhaustion.

She remembered her inhibitions at using a child on one of their missions, even if he wasn't supposed to come into contact with the suspect in the first place. It wasn't something a civilian should witness even one that knew a bit about how to fight. It had been shoved to the back of her mind afterwards, her missions in ANBU affecting her in ways she herself didn't know. The past was long forgotten when she had finally removed her mask and when the trio had saved the Gaki in Iwa, she hadn't paid any attention to the past. She hadn't thought that it was needed, he had fought alongside them displaying amazing techniques for one his age. To all intents and purposes he had buried his frightening past.

She realised now how naive that had been. He hadn't moved on, he had simply bottled it up inside him like a fizzy drink with a mint dropped into it and then the cap screwed tightly to the top. The pressure would build more and more until eventually it would explode; she should have realised the signs for what they were. Throughout his two year training, he had thrown himself into his improvement taking any and all punishment his four 'tutors' had meted out. With reckless abandon, he had met each one head-on, never budging an inch. She had thought it was his determination to get better, to strengthen himself to meet the shadows that always seemed to follow him no matter where he went.

But she was wrong, and she realised that now.

He was running away, escaping from his fears like a mouse from a cat. He was afraid of allowing himself to be caught within the dark clutches of his past, the agony of his mind tearing him apart as each day proceeded. Even if he didn't realise the meaning behind his actions, he was subconsciously shying away from the day he would have to meet his fears for what they were, the culmination inevitable, and he obviously didn't believe he could win.

Anko winced at where her thoughts were taking her and Shisui looked at her with a knowing glint in his eye.

"I can tell you know where this is heading. I remember reading the report for FC2792. You were under Itachi then weren't you?"

Anko nodded mutely.

"I knew what Sarutobi-Sama meant. Naruto would react like he was being used, but I thought that if it was me that asked, then there was a chance he wouldn't react like that."

Shisui sighed as he brought his hands behind his head, his eyes closing as if to accentuate the despair he had felt at the time.

"He took it the wrong way. He thought I had betrayed him..."

The purple-haired Kunoichi sat up straight.

"Wait....you did all this without me an' 'Kashi?"

Shisui winced.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKIN'?! IF YOU THOUGHT IT'D BE BETTER WITH FRIENDS WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US? WE COULD'VE BEEN TH-"

"Yo! What'cha talkin' about?"

Both Shinobi recoiled as Naruto landed right between them, guilt welling up in their souls.

"Err...Nothing Naruto, nothing at all! The sky's nice today, eh?"

Naruto chuckled good-naturedly as he flopped down in the middle of the two, rolling onto his back and staring up at the sky like Shisui. Anko glanced nervously at the Uchiha, but he shook his head slightly.

"Yeah it is!"

The trio fell into an uncomfortable silence, Anko let herself fall back again as she threw an arm over the blonde's shoulder.

"Neh....Naruto."

"Hmm?"

The Konoha Jinchuuriki tilted his head to the side, glancing at the Uchiha from the corner of his eye.

"Why'd you decide to come?"

Naruto turned his head back to the sky, but both Anko and Shisui noticed that his eyes were out of focus. It was like he was looking at something they couldn't see. A sombre mood set in as both waited for his answer.

"I thought..." he began before taking a deep breath and continuing, "I thought that it'd be the same as before....I thought you were using me for the mission just like Jiji did when I was little..."

Anko opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off.

"I didn't realise, ya' know...I didn't realise just how much you guys really meant to me."

Anko smiled softly and she glanced to her right to find Shisui with a similar expression on his face.

"I thought I had a family, a real family. I'd always wanted a family, it was so fun back when I would think Jiji was family...but then I lost it. He used me, and I didn't know what to think..."

Anko rolled onto her right side as she gently ruffled the blonde's soft, golden hair. Shisui seemed to be staring vacantly at the sky, lost in past nostalgia of family gone and forgotten, their voices and smiles an escaping memory in his mind.

"I guess I...I kinda closed off after that. The only other person I regularly talked to left me for something I didn't even do. I had nothing left in Konoha, so I ran away from it all."

The Uzumaki prodigy raised his hand to obscure the weak form of the sun, the dim-yellow orb slightly hidden by the opacity of the thin clouds in front of it. He slowly clenched his fist, tightening his digits as if to take hold of his problems but when he opened them, there was nothing within; a void of melancholy and seclusion seeking to envelop him in its cold clutches.

"Then I met you guys. I didn't know how to react. You were so nice, so kind...I didn't think I could stand it...so the first chance I got, I ran away..."

"_...Again..."_

Shisui barely caught his whisper as he lowered his eyes from the sky, a larger, darker cloud covering the sun this time throwing the hillock under shadow. He shivered as another breeze went through the area, this time frigid rather than soothing.

"Each time-"he hesitated slightly, scared to carry on and admit his feelings to his friends, "Each time I'd go to a new place, I saw things that would remind me of the things I wanted the most in my life. I saw people who took things as normal that I really wanted! And each time I was reminded that I wasn't the same as them...

Nobody else had a crazy guy out for their lives."

The hillock descended into silence once again; the two elder Shinobi afraid to speak their mind lest they break him from his confessions. It was as if he wasn't even talking to them, like he was trying to face his own ghost from which he had admitted to running away from.

"I thought I'd gotten rid of it-"

He choked slightly, a gasp of grief or laughter.

"I-I was just lying to myself! I was just...

Running away again..."

A single tear rolled down his cheek as he stared up at the sky, the sun totally obscured by the dark cloud in front of it. A small twisting line of dampness trailed its way behind the tear, leaving a path of darker skin on the side of his face.

"When I was running away from you, you said something...you said you were asking me by yourself."

Anko stared at the Uchiha; had he realised the enormity of those words?

"And I realised that it wasn't you guys betraying me that I was running away from. It wasn't 'cause I feared Orochimaru or Madara..."

He sat up abruptly, one hand clenched on each of his friends' arms.

"I was scared of dying. I d-didn't want to die...not yet, not when I didn't make up with TenTen...not when I kept ignorin' Jiji..."

Shisui's eyes flickered in the darkness, the trees swaying ominously in the wind that had picked up from the small periodical breeze. Anko flicked her Kunai once more in a full circle before clenching it tightly in her left hand.

"And I decided that I wasn't going to run away again. I'm gonna face them and when I do, I'm not gonna look back."

Determination settled on his features as he stood, his body uncoiling in one, graceful motion, his right arm flinging out sending a pair of Shuriken whizzing into the trees. A startled cry was heard before two forms dropped from their perch, one holding the sliced side of his sleeve in anger.

Taka appeared on Shisui's right, crouched with a hand gripping the hilt of a standard ANBU Chokuto. Taka's beige cloak fluttered in the wind, the mask flashing in the darkness.

Shisui stuck out his arm to stop the elite Shinobi and Taka glanced at him quizzically. He shook his head.

'_Let Naruto handle this.'_

The Konoha operative stepped back, releasing the tightly clenched fist from the bandage wrappings covering the hilt of the standard-issue blade. Naruto stepped forward, his challenge apparent to his opponents.

"Hinokimaru, make it quick."

The one holding his sleeve grunted at the deep, growling statement of his companion. He reached forward and clasped his hands in a hand seal. Naruto was already moving before his fingers connected.

_Naruto was blown back by the punch that rocked his jaw, the bone chipping by the force of the hit. He landed awkwardly on his side, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth._

"_Tch Gaki. When I said it was gonna be tough, I meant it."_

_He couldn't muster the strength to lift his head, an overwhelming fatigue setting within his very soul as he struggled to overcome the pain coursing through his chin._

"_You're an amazing fighter kid, I'm not gonna deny it. I've never seen someone so attuned to their element..."_

_Naruto wearily lifted his head an inch, gazing blearily at his 'teacher' as she stared down at her fist, her trench coat swaying against a backdrop of greenery and water. It was deceptive; a calm and cooling environment for the harsh lesson imparted upon him._

_Anko spat to the side._

"_It ain't gonna work for ya', I can tell ya' that now. You just ain't suited for Hebiken. Looks like we're gonna have to make you your own style..."_

_Naruto rolled onto his side, one hand clutching his injured jaw whilst the other pushed him to his knees. He managed to ground out a few words through the haze of pain clouding his mind._

"_A new...style?"_

_Anko turned and stared up at the swaying oak trees common to Fire Country. The midday sun bathed her face in comfortable warmth as the wind shifted slightly._

"_Kaze..."_

_She strode up to the tree, her fist flashing out as she struck the thick bark. The surface cracked as her knuckle sank into the wood, splinters flying around her from the force of the punch._

_Naruto could only stare as she cursed in pain, wrenching the appendage free from the hole, her knuckles abused and bleeding. She faced him again, her hand held up to her face as blood ran down the back and dripped from her arm._

"_I'm not that good at usin' Wind Chakra, but I just had this idea. At your level, you should be able to power your strikes with Wind just like you would when you throw your Wakizashi."_

_She walked forward, pulling a roll of bandages from under her trench coat and wrapping it around her bruised hand._

"_Get up."_

_Naruto stood shakily to his feet. He teetered forward uncertainly until he came to a stop in front of the damaged tree. Raising his fist, he concentrated, forming a focal point of Wind Chakra at the base of his elbow. In a burst of frightening speed, he struck._

_Chunks of wood were blown clear of the bark, a gaping hole left in the wake of his punch. He cradled his fist as the first stabs of pain tore through his body._

"_...Whoa...it worked..."_

_He turned to face his purple-haired friend._

"_We'll call it..."_

"Kazeken."

The scruffy ninja was sent flying backwards, parallel to the ground as he slammed, head-first into the side of a tree. He gave a strangled cry before falling quiet, his body crumpling on his side as it fell.

"ARGH! Crap! That hurt!"

The blond cradled his arm as he fought the pain in his knuckles. There was nothing to protect his fist from the violent force when hitting an opponent. He really needed to do something about that.

His companion looked on in shock; this...boy had defeated Hinokimaru in an instant. The Jounin had fallen to a single punch. Just how strong was this kid?

Naruto sprang forward, his back bent low to the ground as he ran, his hands speeding through seals too fast for the other man to see.

"Suiton: Teppodama."

The man was forced to avoid the water cannonball, narrowly missing taking his head off from the force of its movement. The man swung back around, the ends of his slashed Iwa headband creating a circle in the air.

"Doton: Doryuudan!"

The man flung out his arms as a large earth dragon formed beside him, roaring towards the blond. The man recoiled as the boy was nowhere to be found.

He was suddenly pulled under the ground, his arms wheeling wildly as the earth covered him from every side leaving his head alone untouched. He recognised the technique; it was a Shinju Zanshu, a D-Rank, close range Ninjutsu. How had he fallen to such a simple technique? Rage boiled up within him, the other Shinobi hadn't even joined in, and they were just standing there watching as if to mock him at his attempts to take down the kid.

He roared his frustration to the sky as the earth spat him out, his Earth Affinity displayed for all to see. With a sudden, sinking feeling in his stomach he realised his mistake; the brat had been waiting for him to escape.

It was his plan.

"DAMN IT MOROKI! GET THE HELL DOWN HERE!"

His shout was cut off as a Rasengan slammed into his torso, the blow sending him spinning through the air and out of sight. Shisui snapped into motion, his arm raised in a silent hand signal.

'_SCATTER!'_

Anko, Shisui and Taka scattered, just before a massive chunk of rock crashed into the ground where they had been standing. It was closely followed by another Iwa Shinobi, another missing-nin.

"R-Rasengan..."

Naruto turned at his awed voice, but he didn't even have a chance to move as the deadly effectiveness of the Konoha ANBU reared its head. The brown-haired man was taken out in three consecutive moves. He stood no chance.

He crouched, a Doryuuheki spewing from his mouth as Anko's Kunai sunk up to its hilt in the makeshift wall. The man spun on his heel, his hands already holding the last seal of another Jutsu.

"Ninpou: Iwa Nadare!"

Rocks tumbled down from the peak of the hillock, but he was too slow. Shisui's illusion took hold right before he was pierced through by Taka's Chokuto. One of the rocks struck the ANBU operative and for a moment, Taka's form was obscured by smoke, only to clear as the Shinobi pulled the sword from the missing-nin's body.

Shisui sighed as he glanced at Taka, he turned and regarded the other two.

"Everybody alright?"

Naruto nodded as he jumped, landing right beside the Uchiha. Shisui bent down and fingered Moroki's Hitai-ite. He punched the ground in frustration.

"Okay, we've been seen. We're going to have to get a move on straight away. Here's the plan. We'll move into Wave and see if we can gather as much information as we can. Once we've done that we'll decide how to proceed. Any questions?"

Naruto glanced at Anko questioningly as she shifted.

"Shisui...What's the main mission?"

Shisui snuck a glance at the twelve year old.

"I'll tell you guys when we get there. It'll be safer that way."

As the team of four prepared to move, the ANBU operative in the trees frowned lightly. Had Shisui realised the significance of what he had seen? Taka hoped he hadn't. It wouldn't do to blow cover just yet, especially when the Hokage had stressed the utmost secrecy in the matter. The Uzumaki's ability was astounding; he had taken out two Jounin with ease, coming out without a scratch on his person. He used his techniques sparingly, to devastating effect. Taka hoped to never face the Jinchuuriki in a one-on-one fight ever. His skill with seals combined with the Taijutsu and Ninjutsu proficiency he had shown were the makings of a powerful Shinobi. His opponents may not have been strong Jounin, as they were from Iwa, nevertheless he had proved himself very capable in that kind of situation.

As Taka bent to spring after the team, Taka saw Shisui-Taicho glance back at the kid, a proud smile stretched across his features. Anko too, wasn't doing anything to hide the appreciation for his explosive display.

The beginnings of a very detailed report. But first, Taka had some bodies to remove.

XXXXXXXX

TenTen gasped at the huge bridge that signalled the start of Nami no Kuni. The large, golden roof over shadowed the two red pillars holding it up, a square, metal sign attached to the top bearing the proud name of the landmark of Wave.

_**The Naruto and Kaiza Bridge**_

_**Welcome, all ye travellers,**_

_**May your pride and hope increase,**_

_**Just as ours in our time of need.**_

"N-No...way..." She breathed. What had Naruto done to merit the bridge of a whole country, the very symbol of a prosperous trading nation, being named after him? What had he done in his absence from Konoha?

A dull, throbbing sadness rose up in her throat, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotion as she stood staring at the word that caused her so many sleepless nights. It just wasn't possible; it was probably a different Naruto...

How many people were named Naruto in the world? There was only one in Konoha.

She shook her head in awe as she turned to find her team staring at her a few metres away. Only Gai-Sensei seemed to realise the consequences of the bridge's namesake. He winked at his female student.

"Yosh! Let us move forward with the flames of our youth! Lee! You take point!"

Lee saluted enthusiastically, before taking off in a dead run towards the opposite side of the bridge, a large dust cloud trailing behind him. Neji coughed and waved a hand in front of his face as he struggled to inhale a clean breath. He grumbled something unintelligible before briskly starting after his energetic teammate.

TenTen fell into step beside her Sensei.

"Gai-Sensei...did you see the name?"

The bowl-cut, Taijutsu master gazed at her, an interested look in his eyes.

"Oh-ho! So you know Naruto-san?"

"Something like that."

Gai turned to look at their destination. The once struggling town of Wave had become a rich trading outpost, its location reserving it as the centre of commerce for three of the biggest countries of the continent. He reached up to brush a stray strand of hair from his face.

"I have heard that young Naruto-san had come here. No-one knows the details, but apparently he saved the whole country two years ago."

TenTen gawked openly.

"S-Saved t-the country?!"

Gai nodded seriously.

"Although nobody knows for certain. It was what I heard from listening to Kakashi speak."

TenTen looked sideways as her teacher plodded beside her.

"Kakashi...Hatake Kakashi? The rival you're always talking about?"

He nodded again.

The two continued onwards in silence, the sound of the lapping waves soft on their ears. TenTen sighed in contentment; the air was fresh and clean here and the sun was just warm enough to be comfortable. It was the perfect getaway if ever they needed one.

"TenTen, when we book our hotel I want you to get some sleep. We need to be up early in the morning to start our scouting, there have been rumours flying around that a small group of missing-nin have hidden themselves away and are stealing from the locals whenever they come out. We have to find their hideout and confirm their numbers so we have to get a very early start."

TenTen nodded quickly. It should be an easy mission, nothing Team 9 couldn't handle. She looked up at the sky, a pair of seagulls called to each other as they flew along the length of the bridge.

'_I'll talk to him as soon as I get back...properly this time."_

XXXXXXX

Uchiha Sasuke snuck down the street towards the convenience stall. His mother had sent him to pick up some groceries for dinner and so to hide his apparent gender change, he had covered himself from head-to-toe in a thick dark cloak. He had the hood thrown over his head so that no-one would recognise him by his hair either.

He reached the stall and began perusing the items on sale, every now and then reaching a gloved hand out to check the quality of the product he was looking at. Without any warning, something small but heavy slammed into the small of his back, sending his careening right into a huge pile of tomatoes.

"Akamaru! Who did you hit this time, boy?"

The small white dog yipped in contentment as it began licking the squashed tomatoes from Sasuke's cloak. At the sound of his old classmate's voice, Inuzuka Kiba, he began to sweat heavily.

'_Pleasedon'tlethimrecognisemepleasedon'tlethimrecognisemeplease-'_

"Oh, hey! Sorry about that man! I'm a ninja ya' see and that's my Ninken, Akamaru."

The small dog barked excitedly and leapt at its own, the edges of its paws catching the side of Sasuke's hood. With a loud tearing sound, his face was revealed to the world.

For a long moment, Sasuke stood in cold fear as Kiba stared in shock at the pretty girl in front of him.

'_Oh GOD! This can't be happening to me!'_

"Hey there missy! Is there something you need? I'd be happy to help ya'!"

Sasuke blanched. H-He was treating him like some poor damsel in distress! The only positive was that he didn't seem to have recognised him.

"I-It's okay. I....have to go now-"

"Nonsense! I'll help you with your shopping to make up for the accident! Hey Ojii-san! Here's the money for..."

Sasuke tuned the rest out as the Inuzuka heir turned to the glaring stall's owner, no doubt offering to pay for the damage. Sasuke quickly threw his hood back on and made to run off but something stopped him fast in his tracks. Something was holding the edge of his cloak. Turning around, his eyes met the scarring sight of Akamaru relieving himself on his cloak. The youngest remaining Uchiha yelped in indignation.

"Kiba! Get your filthy dog off me!"

The Inuzuka turned at the shout.

"Huh?"

When he saw what was happening he immediately burst into laughter, clutching at his sides as he fell to the ground in his mirth. Anger rose in Sasuke like the hounds from hell. Poor Akamaru sensed the rising Killing Intent and ran to hide behind his master.

"Kiba....do you have any idea how expensive these clothes are? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE I'M GOING TO GET IN WHEN MY MUM FINDS OUT THAT YOUR DOG SOILED MY CLOTHES?!"

The Inuzuka stopped laughing for a second, turning his questioning gaze to the 'girl'.

"Hey! How do you know my name? Who ar-"

"KIBA! IN THE NAME OF THE UCHIHA I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Akamaru jumped in front of his master, executing a flawless back-kick with his two hind legs, knocking the prideful Uchiha onto his back. Sasuke glanced around to find a large crowd building around them. He quickly stood, ignoring the disgusting smell wafting from his cloak as he hid his features once again. The young 'woman' took off, sprinting in the direction of the Uchiha Compound.

Kiba sat with a confused expression as the 'girl's' words slowly dawned on him.

"Uchiha....Sasuke?"

He glanced wildly around to see if anyone else had realised what he had.

"Sasuke's...grown his hair long?

OH GOD AKAMARU! THAT WAS UCHIHA SAUKE!"

He sunsequently toppled over sideways as his frame was racked by another fit of laughter. Who was nuts enough to do that to Uchiha Sasuke of all people?!

Kiba couldn't wait to get home that day.

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Ok, a few notes here. First of all, the mission indexing numbers. You may notice that I use the initials 'FC' before the mission number, this is because the one reffered to is within 'Fire Country'. If the mission was in Water Country, it'd be 'WC(insert mission number)'.

Jutsu notes:

**Character Use:** Gamabunta  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
**Type:** Attack

Suiton: Teppodama is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Water Element. After forming the necessary hand seals, Gamabunta manifests a large amount of water in his mouth which he can then spit at his opponent as a large spherical projectile.

**Character Use:** Third Hokage  
**Rank:** Unknown  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack  
**Special Note:** Anime Only

Doton: Doryuudan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and create a dragon from the river of mud made after using the Doryuu Taiga technique. This dragon will then spew mud projectiles from its mouth.

**Character Use:** Third Hokage, Hatake Kakashi  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Defense

Doton: Doryuu Heki is a defensive Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and then spew a line of mud onto the ground. The mud will then grow into a large mud wall to help defend against incoming attack.

Kakashi will use the jutsu by placing his hands on the ground. This causes an earthen wall marked by canine heads to rise.

**Character Use:** Kurosuki Raiga  
**Rank:** Unknown  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
**Type:** Attack  
**Special Note:** Anime Only

Ninpou: Iwa Nadare is a Ninjutsu technique used by Kurosuki Raiga. Forming handseals and running up a cliff face, Raiga can cause stone and rock above him to become dislodged and rain down past him onto his opponents below.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:**

I'm switching ISP around the 27th of February so I'll have a downtime of around a week as that happens. I will continue to write and hopefully when I update again, I'll update with 2 or 3 chapters at the same time. My update speed will be normal before then though!

R&R people! Reviews show that you like!

MegaB


	29. Chapter 29

Yo all, and welcome to Chapter 29 of K:NP! This is where the party really gets started and I'm moving into the great bulk of the actual storyline. I hope I impress with this! I know there was a glitch with for three days and that's probably the reason why I received so few reviews, but for those of you that did, thank you and welcome back!

Review Highlights: A big thank you to innocently confused, Scyth3, Legendary Chikyuu-Jin, captin hitsugya and vanchagreen. You all spotted my mistake and let me know! I've changed it up, so thanks again!

Other than that, a big 'congratulations' to Vilkath for spotting the absurdity of the Sandaime not seeing Sai for what he actually is. Yes, I AM bashing the whole idea and I hope new authors will read it and see how stupid putting Sai on a Genin team from graduation actually is. Also, a very big thank you to musketau for taking the time to write such an uplifting and motivational review! It was very nice, thank you very much!

Another thank you to Lord Ezra'eil for his amazing hat of tricks! One of his ideas is used in this chapter!

Story Highlight goes to Naruto-pwns-Kyuubi's 'ANBU Brat'. It's an excellently written fic and one of the earliest ones I read. It IS a Super!Naruto fic so it might not be up everyone's alley, but I do recommend it as a good piece of literature!

Anyway, here's the juice! Chapter 29 everyone!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

'_For the good of the mission....'_

"I need not remind you of your role in this organisation."

Uchiha Itachi remained motionless, his face a disguise of indifference as he knelt before a man clothed in black robes. The only striking feature about the man was the gaudy orange mask covering his face; the surface coated in swirls and only a single hole indicating that he indeed could still see.

'_For the good of the Village....'_

"You will move immediately. I will see you when you return."

The black-clad man swept his robes around him as he turned his back to the teenager, the one-sided conversation ended with a note of finality. Itachi stood, his crimson orbs disappearing in the unending shadows as he closed his eyes.

'_We sacrifice the Uchiha Clan....'_

He exited the cave, the sudden change in environment battering his already defeated soul. Rain poured in sheets from the heavens, the heavy clouds breaking their stores as they wept at the soul-rending agony placed inside a single body. The Uchiha's murderer looked up at the sky, the clouds the colour of smoke and not a single ray of the morning's sun was able to pierce the darkness with its life giving radiance.

'_....And we look towards the future....'_

The rain pattered onto his closed eyelids, rolling down the crevices of his face and dripping from just below his chin. He could shed no tears, yet the rain cried for him.

'_Will you help us, Uchiha Itachi?'_

"_Will you help us destroy to protect, or will you protect that which will destroy?"_

He whispered the final sentence as his eyes opened once more, the once obsidian gaze replaced by the red of the Sharingan. The three Tomoe of the famous Bloodline Limit spun in their orbit, memorising, calculating and categorising every drop of the liquid it could view. He was quickly drenched through to the bone as he stood with no protection from the downpour; the rain was the last thing on his mind.

Without a single look back, he leaped forward, his black ponytail flapping from the motion.

XXXXXXX

"So here's the deal."

Naruto grinned as his Uchiha friend spread a map of Wave Country on a flat rock to the side of the clearing they were using as their unofficial 'base'. The team of four were gathered around their Captain, each one of them scrutinising the area depicted on the map. Shisui pointed to three locations ringed by a red marker pen.

"These are the possible locations of the Nuke-nin's base. Information was sketchy and the outskirts that we knew that were _definitely_ attacked had no survivors. The other inhabitants were reluctant to give us any too, so we're going to split into two groups so we can locate it."

Shisui looked up as Anko grunted.

"Who commissioned this mission in the first place?"

Shisui frowned at the purple-haired Kunoichi. Naruto scratched an itch on his nose.

"The client is listed as 'The CEO of Wave Constructions ltd'. That's about all I have; meeting with the client isn't an objective though so it has little importance."

Anko nodded reluctantly at his logic. Sure, it wasn't the best of situations, but the little they did have was useful.

"Team A will be me and Taka. Team B will be Anko and Naruto. You two will-"

"HEY! What's with the names?! At least let us use somthin' cool!!"

Anko grinned into her hand as Shisui looked at the blond Jinchuuriki in shock.

"What?! What's wrong with A and B?"

The Uzumaki heir bounced on the balls of his feet as he raised an accusatory finger.

"Ah, come on Shisui! That's borin'! A and B? Sooooooo unoriginal!"

Shisui looked taken aback by the suggestion that he was anything but original. It was just a name for God's sake! He decided to humour him though; a mission without Naruto's backing would be a commitment to futility.

"Well what would you suggest?"

The twelve year old 'hmmed' as he leaned on the rock, the trees swaying as if in symphony. Suddenly, he threw up a fist to show he had an idea. Shisui almost groaned.

"I know! You two can be Team Emo and us two'll be Team Budgie!"

"...Team Budgie?"

All three turned to stare at the blond although you really couldn't tell with Taka. The only indication that the ANBU operative was paying attention to what the young prank-master was saying was that the ever present porcelain mask was aimed in his direction.

"Well duh! I'm not gonna go searchin' by foot am I?! I brought my Airboard for a reason!"

Anko scratched a spot on the nape of her neck in confusion as she asked what seemed to be on everyone else's minds.

"Yeah...but why Budgie?"

Naruto grinned widely, his yellowing teeth showing through the gap in his lips.

"I like Budgies!"

The other three sweat-dropped. What kind of reason was that?!

"Anyway...Team...Emo will go through the Village and see what clues we can pick up whilst Team Budgie does some aerial reconnaissance. Is everyone clear on what they have to do?"

He got two nods and one enthusiastic 'HAI!' Nodding in acceptance, he rolled up the map and stowed it within his utility pouch. The mission wasn't _technically_ difficult. As he had explained to the other three just moments ago, their objective was to root out and destroy the Nuke-nin base that had been plaguing the peaceful atmosphere of Nami no Kuni recently. The missing-nin had obviously been alerted to their presence as soon as they had gotten near if the previous day's welcome was anything to go by, yet they wouldn't know the cause of the disturbance. That was an advantage they still held; the element of surprise was still very much in their grasp, the only remaining criteria that needed to be cleared before they could move in was the location of the base.

Wave Country had prospered recently, the financial situation leading to a position of neutrality no other Country could say they held. Due to its bolstered trade relations with three of the biggest powers on the continent, Konoha, Kumo and Kiri were reluctant to do anything that would destroy the status quo. All three nations were committed to protecting their trade-routes and as Wave fell into that category, they were committed to its safety. Shisui didn't know if any other Shinobi Villages had been asked for help as Konoha had been, but the main thing was that they completed their objective and returned to Konoha.

As he packed his camping equipment into a large duffel bag, Shisui contemplated the two teams he had designated. Putting Anko and Naruto together was the only choice for them two; it was also the best one available. Anko had trained the blond personally for two years in Taijutsu and they could work in tandem very well. If Kakashi had been with them, they would have had the best possible team as the two pairs would have been co-ordinated as he saw fit. They had all worked together at some point and each of them could probably tell what decision the other was going to make in a fight. As the Silver-haired ex-ANBU Captain was absent, Shisui was the best person to pair with Taka. There was another reason for this pairing though.

Shisui had an ANBU mask, something which Anko no longer had and neither did Naruto. For this reason he and Taka could avoid any detection whilst scoping out the Village for clues. In their position, 'Team Budgie' was best placed in a recon capacity and this was the reasoning behind the Uchiha Survivor's plan.

Placing his fully packed bag onto a sealing scroll, he bit his thumb and sealed the bag into the scroll with a single swipe. Pocketing the scroll, he turned to the other three.

"OK. Move out immediately. Taka, on me."

Taka appeared by his side in an instant and the two took off in the direction they knew Wave's new bridge was located.

"Alright brat, you get up there on your Airboard and check out the area. Don't worry about me; I'll be right underneath you unless you go through an area without any cover. I'll be right underneath you most of the time. Make sure you radio in if you find anythin'."

The Mitarashi pitched a small, black receiver at the blond which he promptly caught. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting the grooves and latches that covered the side obviously meant for the outside of his ear.

"What should I be looking for?"

Anko pushed a Kunai into the band around her bicep, the handle of the blade facing downwards for easy access. She turned to him as he placed the receiver in his ear and powered it on. It crackled for a second before falling silent, a light swishing noise apparent in the background.

"Can you hear me?"

Naruto nodded as he waited for her to answer his question.

"We're looking for anything moderately sized, possibly a warehouse or somethin' similar. It should have a lot of Shinobi with scratched out headbands around it. Remember the map Shisui showed us?"

Naruto nodded again.

"We'll check to the north first. Remember, I'm right behind ya' if you need me."

Naruto tightened his arm-strap before reaching behind his back and slipping his Airboard free from underneath his Ryu-Zashi. Channelling Chakra into his hand he caused the board to hover as he hopped gracefully onto its surface. As he lifted away from the ground, the turbulence kicked up a large cloud of earth and grass, dislodging a few leaves from the nearby trees in a vortex of wind. He rose steadily, his body bent low to the surface of the Airboard and one hand securely grasping the right hilt of one of his blades. Just as he cleared the canopy, he caught sight of Anko signalling the direction he was meant to move and so he spun and moved off slowly.

He had recently finalised the new design of his Airboard. The previous iteration, fondly dubbed as 'that tree branch' by his three Jounin friends, had taken to many hits for it to be safely used. It was easy to break and the shape wasn't what one could consider as being aerodynamic. But then, he hadn't really been aiming for something fancy in the first place; all he really wanted was to see if his Sealing ideas could actually work, the Airboard kind of snowballed as an idea after that.

The design had been completely revamped. With the help of Anko, the blond Jinchuuriki had gotten a hold on a standard surfboard. He'd stripped the entire body free of any bloated modernity and added a few touches of his own to make it the fastest and most efficient ride he could possibly achieve. Adding the Elemental Seals directly to the surface of two fins on the underside of the board, he was able to gain a marginal speed boost; he could now travel at insanely fast speeds if he wanted to. The fins had aided in a much more precise steering experience, the directional Elemental seals could be placed in appropriate positions around the fins to get a very sensitive control on the motions he would need. He was proud of his work and it showed in the fact that he would take it with him wherever he went.

"Alright, don't go too fast or I won't be able to keep up. Keep movin' in that direction, we should hit the first target in a few minutes."

Naruto frowned as he stared down in the direction they were heading. It was an area clear of any sort of plant life, only a single bungalow resting in the middle. It was dark and shrouded in a brown cloth, causing it to stick out like a sore thumb in the morning sun. He looked towards the East to find a massive bridge stretching out from their side of the continent; a huge body of water beneath it. He remembered it from the last time he had been here, the endless stretch of water leading to a Village on the outskirts of the island. There was a hill there that had two rough trenches gauged into the ground, the only evidence of a stunt gone wrong two years ago.

Even now as he looked down, he could see the smiling faces of Inari and his family. He had to make sure that he visited them before he headed back to Konoha. He really wanted to see them again. Shaking his thoughts from his head, he went back to searching the terrain for anything suspicious. From his vantage point, people would look really small and he probably wouldn't be able to make out a Hitai-ite at all. At least he had Anko's help down below.

His mind strayed once again as he floated on the clouds, the white puffy formations of moisture drifting lazily by giving the impression of a rather disconnected dream. His mind grew hazy as the sting of the cold droplets forming on his open skin bit through his senses. Everything was so calm, so peaceful....he felt like he could just-

"....RUTO! GET DOWN FROM THERE BRAT! YOU'RE GONNA DIE IF YOY RISE ANY HIGHER!"

Naruto shook his head blearily, futilely attempting to clear the funk covering his senses. He attempted to raise his hand to brush over the droplets that were slowly freezing on his cheeks, only to find that his body wouldn't respond. He quickly cut his Chakra output and allowed the Airboard to plummet to the ground. After a few seconds of free-fall, he bolstered the propulsion seal and remained steady at his current height. That was dangerous, too dangerous. He'd risen so far up that the air temperature was at frigid levels. He could hardly breathe up there and he would have died if he had fainted...

"Gaki, pay attention! Do you see anythin' around you?"

Naruto looked down, attempting to find his friend in the sea of greens and browns below him. He couldn't make out anything from his height. When he replied, it came low and soft; Anko could only worry about what was going on up there.

"No...there's nothing. The building is empty too..."

Anko sighed as she alighted on a tree branch, placing a supportive hand on the trunk of the elm. She lowered her head to wipe the perspiration dripping from her forehead. Naruto may have been going slow, but on the surface she had to sprint to keep up.

"Alright. We'll move west next. Keep up the same pace, we can be finished by lunch time."

Naruto hummed in response as he turned to their new direction. He looked towards the sun and was forced to shield his eyes from the dazzling light piercing his eyelids. Channelling more Chakra to the Wind Control Seal, he moved off towards their next target.

XXXXXXX

"TenTen, keep up!"

TenTen panted as she followed after her Sensei and teammates. They were scouting the north-western area beyond the bridge, their last round before they were to head back to their hotel. Patrol missions were always the most tiresome and boring of tasks that a Shinobi had to perform, the fact that this was actually a C-Rank totally absent from her mind. Wave Country was a nice place; beautifully scenic both in the morning and at night. The air was fresh and clean, the inhabitants were wealthy and appropriately situated. One could get lost in the swing of things as easily as they might come.

The brown-haired Kunoichi didn't know why the security had to be so tight as to warrant a patrol mission; there wasn't any trouble in the surroundings areas and from what they did know, the three main powers in the vicinity were very unlikely to try anything underhanded. Wave was just too important to them at the moment.

She glanced up as she jumped from another tree, her arms swinging by her sides in the wind. It was refreshing, especially with the cool, pure air that seemed to be a mainstay in the country. She breathed in deeply, a slightly sweet tasted tingeing on her tongue as she did so. She briefly spied Neji on point springing from another bough hanging low, the thick wood just in the right position for tree-jumping.

Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. In an instant that flashed by so fast that her head was left buzzing from the occurrence, a stump of a tree slammed sideways into her body, just below her armpit. For a brief moment, she saw Neji spin around, his arm outstretched as if to ward off an enemy before he was lost beyond the next bunch of trees. Her world spun 720 degrees as she pin wheeled in the air, diverted by the blow to her side.

Just as she was about to crash into an imposing elm tree, something broad and solid caught her around the middle. Maito Gai grunted from the strain as he struggled to contain the force of their movement. He landed awkwardly, tumbling sideways and releasing his student as he was forced to roll to prevent any damage to himself.

TenTen groaned as she hit the dirt, the large scroll attached to her back dislodged from its pin and rolled a short distance away from her. As she attempted to raise her head, a dull throbbing pain spread down her side. She yelped and stilled immediately, her chin nestled uncomfortably into a pile of pine needles. The sharp objects poked into her skin leaving an itchy feeling behind, one which she couldn't scratch due to the pain wracking her body.

She heard a muffled shout and a dark form blew right over the top of her head. She couldn't make out any defining features of the shape; it could've been a person for all she knew.

"TenTen, TENTEN! Are you alright? Can you move?"

She stared upwards lethargically, the adrenaline in her system abating as she was suddenly hit by a wave of fatigue. Something struck her face lightly as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Stay awake! We need to get you out of here! LEE, BEHIND YOU!"

Distantly, she recognised the voice belonging to Gai-Sensei as something heavy slammed into the ground next to her, an explosion of dirt and more pine-needles pelting her injured body. Someone grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her upright into a sitting position, a strong arm supporting her back.

"G-Gai-Sensei...W-What happened?" She managed to gasp out her question through the pain shooting up her spine.

"Shh, rest easy TenTen. It seems we've been attacked by a group of missing-nin. LEE, HAVE YOU SEEN NEJI?"

TenTen tried to focus her eyes on the other smaller form approaching them, but she couldn't make him out properly. She could only see a lot of green. She felt so very tired...

"No Gai-Sensei! He shouldn't be too far ahead though. I'm going to check."

Lee turned and pounded off through the trees sending tremors through the soft Earth of Nami no Kuni.

"LEE, WAIT!"

Gai sighed as his student didn't look back. His enthusiasm and concern was commendable, but in this situation splitting from the main group was foolhardy at best. They needed backup if the number of nin were taken into account; this wasn't some small band of Shinobi, these were missing-nin from Iwa, possibly all at Jounin level. The Earth Jutsu that had been thrown their way was a clever trap designed to instantly incapacitate the enemy; Gai neither knew the name nor did he care for it. One of his students was injured and the other two were most probably fighting for their lives.

Reaching up to the Velcro pouch attached to his vest, he ripped the opening off and caught the Chakra flair as it fell. He didn't want to alert the ex-Iwa-nin to his power level, they'd come swarming out of the woodwork if he did, so he couldn't use the Chakra Beacon in this situation. The Sandaime had hinted at another mission in progress in the same area so hopefully those same Konoha Shinobi could come to their assistance. With a small 'pop' he pulled the cap off the flair and tossed it to the ground below an opening in the canopy. The flair hissed for a few seconds before spewing bright pinky-red gas into the air.

Gai looked down at his female student; she didn't look good at all. There were most likely a few broken ribs from the hit she had taken and he knew nothing about medical Ninjutsu. All he could do would be to bandage the area and sit tight for either his other two students to save themselves or for reinforcements to arrive. It was a hard choice to make, but TenTen was injured and the missing-nin would have no qualms about offing a lone, injured Konoha Kunoichi if they had the chance. He believed in his students.

They'd all make it out alive; he prayed that he was right.

XXXXXXX

"You've got to be freakin' kidding me..."

Shisui muttered darkly under his mask as he raced through the alleyways of the Village on the outskirts of Wave. His scouting mission had been a success, but what he had found was not good news at all.

Having exhausted all avenues of gathering the information he needed covertly, he decided to search out this 'CEO' of the Construction Company. Taka was sent on a similar job to the other side of town and so Shisui had free reign. He wasn't disappointed.

The man's name was Tazuna, a brawny, tanned bridge-builder whose main project had been the same 'Naruto and Kaiza Bridge' that the two ANBU operatives had travelled across to get there. He wanted to question him on the name of the bridge but was forced to put it off when the situation was brought up.

Tazuna had said that a whole garrison of Iwa Missing-nin had shown up recently and holed themselves up in a large bungalow about an hour's run from the Village. It was a shady place from what the CEO had said, a place no Villager would ever want to see and for the most part they stayed away from it. Tazuna had marked the building on his map; it wasn't any of the places they had thought it was and Shisui knew that the Konoha patrol was most likely going to pass through that area. He cursed his fortune as he pulled out the scroll detailing their patrol routes; that area was designated for ten minutes prior and it was their last round for the day.

He had set off immediately, he didn't have time to find Taka and inform the ninja of the situation. If what Tazuna had said was correct, there could be upwards of twenty Missing-nin guarding the area and that didn't spell anything good for Team 9.

As he ran he glanced upwards, attempting to locate Naruto is he could. He looked to the north and spotted a small black speck lazily floating towards the same direction he was heading. He nearly stopped but then thought better of it. He wouldn't be able to contact 'Team Budgie' from this distance; he would just have to rely on them getting there whenever they could.

Turning back to his destination he immediately recognised the red smoke flare specific to Konoha. Well that was his answer, they needed help and Naruto would probably spot that before too long.

He deftly swung from a laundry pole and launched himself from the alleyway directly onto Wave's biggest landmark.

He hoped Gai was alright...

XXXXXX

"What you got Gaki?"

Naruto squinted to the West as he saw a large column of pink gas blossom upwards from a clump of trees a ways away from their current position. Frowning, he pushed the 'send' button on his receiver as he replied.

"Umm...I dunno what it is, but I can see some pink smoke comin' up to the east."

He heard his ex-Sensei gasp at his words.

"What? What's wrong Anko-nee?"

There was silence for a while and Naruto could hear a lot of rustling and grunting in the background. When she did speak, the purple-haired Jounin's voice was low and hurried.

"That's a Konoha Signal Flare! Someone's asking for help down there!"

Naruto's eyes widened at that. Help? Could it be one from Team Emo?

"Do you think it's Shisui?"

He pictured her shaking her head as she spoke.

"Nah, I don't think it is either of them two. They went in the direction of the Village so it's gotta be someone else. Shisui didn't mention nothin' about another Team bein' here though..."

The Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki scratched the back of his head lightly. What the hell was going on here?

"At any rate, we had better get down there right now. We'll have to split up. Head there as fast as you can, I'll be right behind ya'."

Naruto hesitated for a second.

"You sure that's a good idea? What if we run into those missing-nin whilst we go?"

Anko sighed on the other end and a brain-zapping screech was given off from the earpiece leaving the two with a ringing sensation in their ears.

"Damn, radio crap...We'll have to take that risk kid. You'll get there faster and it's the best option we have right now."

Naruto nodded, glancing down at the sea of green leaves depicting the top of the canopy. It was a glorious day in Wave, the sun was high and the sky was blue. A gentle breeze rippled across the area from the direction of the ocean producing a wave-like effect on top of the mass of leaves and branches. Naruto glanced down at where he thought his friend might be before increasing the output to maximum in his propulsion seal.

The effect was instantaneous.

In a high pitched scream of wind, the Airboard accelerated rapidly, his environment twisted and stretched, shooting by at breakneck speeds as he tore through the air towards his target. He bent low to the surface of the board, attempting to minimise the ferocious winds threatening to rip him from his ride and hurl him towards a grisly death. The flare was approaching fast as he zeroed in on its position. He vision tunnelled as he stared straight ahead, aiming for the clearing where the smoky gas was spewing forth from.

In a flash, he sighted the slumped form of a girl leaning against a tree with two Shinobi standing above her. He hardly paid attention to the details; if the flare went up; it meant that the losing side was most probably the Konoha Team. He angled straight towards the two Missing-nin, readying himself to jump. He hit the top of the canopy in an explosion of leaves, the Airboard ripping right through like a bullet, tearing a jagged hole in the top of the treeline.

He couldn't use a Jutsu whilst he was using the Airboard, it would divert the flow of Chakra and he'd most likely miss his target. He had to time his move just right to make the most of his element of surprise.

And what a surprise it would be.

He leapt; hands already forming handseals as he spun in mid-air, his form still hunched over as twigs and branches bit into his body all around him, snapping and snagging on his clothes as he barrelled towards the ground.

The two missing-nin looked up as they heard a high-pitched whine approaching them. The one on the right only had the time to release a girly scream before the aerial projectile blew him straight off his feet. The starboard scored a direct hit to the side of his neck, no doubt killing him instantly and TenTen could only watch in shock and awe as the man's body disappeared so fast that it was like he was never there in the first place.

She looked to the other Shinobi just as he was hit in the stomach by a massive water-ball. There was a screeching sound in the trees to her right and she just managed to catch a flash of silver, black and gold as something came shooting from the trees, crashing straight into the Shinobi trying to catch his breath from the previous hit he had sustained.

"'R-Ruto?"

The blond Jinchuuriki landed heavily, panting from the crazy stunt he had just pulled off. After he'd released his Teppodama he'd pulled a roll of wire from his utility pouch and uncoiled it using his teeth. That was a major feat in mid-air and it had taken a lot of concentration to do it. He'd flown right past his target and as he'd been about to hit a tree head-first, he'd twirled around it, stretching the two ends of the ninja wire as far as they could go. It had snagged around the branch, digging a trench in the wood as he was forced to orbit the limb, sling-shotting his body right back at the clearing.

He gasped as he recognised the girl he had seen from the air.

"T-TenTen?!"

She threw herself at him, disregarding the excruciating pain that stabbed through her body from the movement. With an 'oof!' he caught her and they tumbled to the forest floor in a heap.

"W-Where...I mean...W-What...Why are you here? How did y-you get here..."

She trailed off as she tightened her hold around his waist. Naruto hesitated as he looked down at the back of her head. She was acting really weird...what was he meant to do?

It was then that he noticed she was crying, the damp feeling spreading across his chest as her tears seeped through the thin cotton of his black T-Shirt. She was shivering very hard, almost as if she had been left out in a single layer of clothes deep in winter. Somehow, Naruto doubted it had anything to do with the weather.

"...-orry..."

"Huh?"

She raised her head to glance at him and he was taken aback by the raw emotion exuding from her chocolate eyes as she gazed tearfully upwards, tears leaking from the corners and dripping down her face.

"I said I'm s-sorry...Sorry f-for everything I did to you..."

She laughed bitterly, her mouth gaping in a silent scream of agony from the injury to her side. A mixture of a hiccup and a groan tore itself from her throat as she attempted to continue.

"Look, you saved m-me again..."

She laughed again, her whole form trembling as all the energy seemed to evaporate from her limbs leaving a shell of a human dumped on his torso.

'_I swore to forgive her if she really meant it...'_

"All those y-years..."

Naruto gave a start as she mumbled into his stomach.

"All t-those years a-after I left...I thought you w-were the one who b-betrayed me...but then I r-realised that it w-wasn't like that at all..."

She trailed off as she sniffed, another stab of pain ripping through her side as she did. This time she emitted a small yelp of pain and Naruto's eyes widened as his hand rested on her right side. It was swollen, badly; even from over her clothes he could feel the pressure of the inflammation against his hand. That had to be a bad injury.

"TenTen-"

"I was the one who betrayed you! I WAS THE ONE BEING STUPID ALL THAT TIME! I JUST WANTED EVERYTHING TO GO BACK TO NORMAL! I just wanted you....to....come back...."

She gasped in pain again as she curled up into a ball, her face scrunching up from the shock of the feeling. Naruto decided there and then that he'd heard enough. He couldn't not forgive her when she was in this state. Besides, it seemed like she had realised what had happened anyway.

He raised his hand, wiping the mud from her cheek, leaving a long brown smudge on her face. She jolted at the touch and looked up at him in surprise. He smiled slightly.

A radiant smile blossomed on her face, her tears still falling from her eyes. Her face glowed as she realised he had forgiven her, even though he didn't have to, even though she owed him so much...

"Ten-chan, where's your team? We can talk later."

She nodded and he gently slid from underneath her, guiding her back into a sitting position. He'd called her that nickname again...after so long she had heard it from his mouth. It was enough for her, enough that he was safe, that he had forgiven her. It was enough that they were friends again. The familiar warmth blossomed in Naruto's soul as he saw her smile again; no matter how much he tried to stay indifferent, no matter how much he told himself that he shouldn't forgive her so easily...

He knew it was genuine this time.

"Gai-Sensei got a-attacked by four Missing-nin whilst he was guarding me."

She took a deep breath, wincing as she pressed a hand to her right side.

"I think he w-went in that direction."

She pointed to the right, the direction Naruto had come from. Suddenly he heard a crackling sound in his ear.

"...you got...What did you find down there Gaki?!"

"ANKO-NEE?"

She replied in the affirmative. Naruto felt oddly relieved.

"I'm comin' up on your position now. What's goin' on down there?"

Naruto cupped his mouth as he spoke into the microphone.

"Anko-nee, I've found TenTen. I don't know what Team she was on but her Sensei's been attacked by four missing-nin in your direction. What should I do? There are no enemies down here-"

"TENTEN!"

Naruto whipped around as two forms landed right between him and the brown-haired weapons-specialist. The White-eyed one eyes him suspiciously, his arms raised in what Naruto recognised as a Taijutsu stance.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Naruto shook his head and pointed at TenTen. The boy was roughed up pretty badly, a long thin cut on the side of his neck. Naruto winced as he saw it; that was a bit too close to the Jugular vein...

"Stay where you are brat! That's Team 9. Those two should be Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji. Stay with them until me or one of our team get there. Don't move from your position!"

The line went dead as Naruto affirmed her orders.

He turned back to the three and was startled to find the boy with the centre-parting and large, bushy eyebrows staring at him intently.

"Err....What?"

"So you are Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. What did that have to do with anything? Weren't they in an emergency situation?

"Umm...yes?"

Naruto stepped back quickly as the boy appeared right in his face, a large grin spread from ear-to-ear.

'_FAST!'_

"I'm Rock Lee! Nice to meet you! I've heard so much about you from TenTen!"

Naruto turned to regard the panda-styled Kunoichi. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted back, resting on the tree behind her.

"You have?"

"YES! I heard you were the one who pulled that stunt on the academy a few years ago!"

The Hyuuga's head whipped around so fast that Naruto thought he heard it crack.

"Ehehehe...yeah...that was me..."

Neji's face went red in anger and he looked like he was about to explode when the arrival of a certain ANBU operative delayed any outburst he may have had.

"Uzumaki-san, what is the situation?"

Lee and Neji's eyes widened in awe as the beige-cloaked ANBU landed so silently in their midst. They hadn't detected the Shinobi at all and if the operative hadn't spoken they wouldn't have known anyone was there. The fact that the elite ninja was asking of the boy who looked younger than them only served to increase the mystery surrounding the blond.

Just how strong was he?

"I took out two of 'em," he pointed to the two bodies lying on the floor. One's neck was bent at an odd angle and Taka raised an eyebrow at the man. He was dead. It seemed like he had been killed by a ferocious hit to the side of his neck; the bones looked totally pulverised from where the ANBU stood.

"Their Sensei is around here somewhere. Apparently he got attacked by four more of them."

Taka nodded in response.

"We'll leave them here for now. Taicho should have arrived here before me, I sensed his Chakra a while ago. We will move onto the next objective so I will be taking command for now."

Hyuuga Neji was shocked speechless. This....brat was on the same team as an ANBU and he had killed a Jounin level ninja all by himself coming out without a scratch on him. Just what was going on here? In a flash of memory, he remembered the feeling of his head burning and having to go home crying. His white hot anger returned quickly, coursing through his veins like fire.

The two disappeared in a brief show of speed; the blond reappeared for a small moment to pick up his Airboard before he took off in the same direction as his teammate.

"Neji-san! Did you see that?! It was almost as fast as Gai-Sensei at top speed!"

Neji 'humphed' unconvincingly as his Byakugan was activated, tracking the two whilst they moved.

"He was strong..."

Neji raised a thin eyebrow at his male teammate's remark.

"He was very strong Neji-san. Stronger than us two...much, much stronger than us..."

Neji crossed his arms over his chest as he sat daintily next to his female teammate. She was drifting in and out of consciousness now; there was nothing he or Lee could do to help her. He sighed as he deactivated his bloodline and leaned back, allowing his long hair to cascade down his back. It was sweaty and tangled with leaves and other dirt from the forest floor from the time he'd had to roll to avoid a Kunai swipe to his neck. If Lee hadn't appeared when he did, it was quite likely that the Hyuuga prodigy would have died that day.

Not that he would tell him though.

Sighing again, he looked up at the shadowed canopy with his pupil-less white eyes. It was sweltering down here, like the midday in some sort of Amazon rainforest. Even the shadows of the huge elm trees surrounding them didn't offer much protection from the heat, yet they had to make do. He was so tired...so very tired...

XXXXXXX

Shisui ducked low, avoiding the strike that whistled over his head. Quickly he rolled to the side as a clump of Earth splattered where he had last stood.

'_Dangerous!'_

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gai place one hand on the ground and slam his foot into one of the Missing-nin's throat, sending him into the air. That one was dead; he was about to be hit by the Omoto-Renge, one of Gai's most deadly Taijutsu techniques.

Flipping onto his back, he rolled backwards, his Sharingan spinning as he moulded his Chakra. He had to take out the rest of them as quickly as possible and help the others. The criminals' base was probably on high alert now as evidenced by so many of them appearing in quick succession. They were throwing everything they had at the two teams and the Konoha Shinobi were beginning to buckle under the weight.

Jumping back to his feet he unleashed one of his best Genjutsu, the feared 'Shinkirou no Shisui's' trademark battle tactic. Not a single person in the entire World could pull off the things he could with such skill and efficiency. It wasn't the actual illusion that his opponent had to fear, it was the _amount of layers_ he had used. Shisui wasn't known for the strength of his illusions, that was more Yuuhi Kurenai's talent than his. No, he was feared because of the number of illusions he could use at the same time, layering them on top of each other with such efficiency that only the most elite of Shinobi would be able to differentiate between what was real and what was not.

They could break a few layers, but they would never know how many layers there actually were, leaving them to question their surroundings, question things which they shouldn't have to normally. It was a fatal mistake on the battlefield and one that he could easily take advantage of.

"_It's only three handseals. All you have to do is focus it to a single point in your hand. Focus it until it's as sharp as the sharpest blade...no, even sharper than that..."_

Lightning crackled to life in his hand as a blade of pure electricity blossomed forth from his body.

'_Never use it without the Sharingan. You know why it's named as it is? Because I once cut a lightning bolt with it...Yes, its name is..."_

"RAIKIRI!"

With a single leap, he cleared the distance between he and his opponent, blowing a hole straight through his heart in a shower of blood and gore. He had no time to view his handy work though as he was forced to avoid another strike from behind by wrenching his arm free and cart wheeling fluidly. Kakashi's trademark Jutsu was very deadly indeed. The dead body slumped to the ground, spewing forth a dark red river of blood, dappling the once bright green and brown forest floor the colour of death.

As he avoided another blow from his new opponent, Gai's enemy came flying from the sky, smashing straight into his comrade, knocking them both out. Shisui sighed as he looked around for the last missing-nin; there were four originally and they'd only taken out three. Gai appeared behind him, pressing his back against his fellow Jounin as they left no gap in their defence.

"What do you reckon?"

"I don't know Shishi-san. You have a mission in the area?"

The Uchiha nodded quickly, his eyes flickering about as his Sharingan spun around his two irises.

"We had to locate these guys' base and take it out actually. I only noticed that you were crossing this path about twenty minutes ago. It was lucky you left that flair, I'm sure the rest of my team got there too."

Gai nodded thoughtfully as he scanned the surroundings. Where was the fourth guy? Was he hiding or running back to base?

A high pitched scream rang through the area and a large number of birds took flight to their right. Both Jounin looked in that direction as a body was thrown from high up in a tree to the forest floor along with two Kunai. The blades embedded themselves in the necks of the unconscious missing-nin and Mitarashi Anko landed lightly in front of her comrades.

"Damnit Shisui! When you flippin' tell us to go recon, you have to freakin' keep in touch with us at the same time! What the hell were you thinkin' keepin' such important info from the rest of your squad?"

She panted from her diatribe, eyes glaring at the Uchiha survivor who cowered from her wrath. She was hunched over, her hands grasping her knees as she stared up at the Shinobi, her face scrunched up in an angry snarl. Shisui felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realised what he had done.

He'd forgotten to tell them about Team 9...

"Shishi-Taicho, Uzumaki and I are moving in on the base-"

"WHAT?!"

Anko recoiled as Shisui reached up and grasped his receiver, his shout echoing through the clearing in his anger.

"I repeat, we are moving in on the base. Should we rendezvous with you before launching the attack? Uzumaki-san has assured me he can take out the building in one fell swoop."

Shisui almost grinned. The Konoha Jinchuuriki could probably do it too. There was a mission to complete though.

"Taka, you shouldn't have moved without consulting me first. Alright, continue the objective. We'll catch up with you as soon as we can."

The Uchiha released the 'send' button on his microphone and turned to face Gai.

"Gai, you need to get your team out of here ASAP. Naruto's going to blow this place sky high and you can't be here when he does. Understand? Take them back to Wave, you can rest and recuperate before leaving for home."

Gai saluted and winked at the Uchiha. He promptly hopped over to Anko and gave her a tight squeeze and a thumbs-up before dashing back towards the flair. Anko was left staring horrified at what he had done.

"I'M DYIN', I'M DYIN'! I'M BEIN' INFECTED BY THE GREEN!"

"The _What?!"_

Anko quickly shut her mouth and stared around guiltily.

"Err...nothin'"

Shisui sweat-dropped. It definitely sounded like something to him. Signalling with his hand, Shisui turned and ran as fast as he could in the direction Tazuna had marked on the map.

He wanted to see the fireworks after all!

XXXXXXX

"Are you sure you can do this Uzumaki-san? I know you are good at seals, but isn't this a bit too big for you?"

Naruto cocked his eyebrow at the strange ANBU agent. Taka's voice was slightly higher than a man's and Naruto was sure he knew exactly who was behind that mask, but he didn't want to say anything just yet.

"Can you just cut that out? You're freakin' me out talking like some machine or something! We've met before!"

Taka's mask tilted to the side in slight apprehension.

"For the sake of the mission, my identity must remain hidden."

"Yeah, but you're just a stupid clone anyway! Where's the real you?"

Behind the mask, a mouth was left wide open in stupefaction. Taka couldn't begin to guess how this astonishing twelve year old knew so much about the mission, but then again, Taka should have known if Taka's past dealings with the boy were anything to go by. Leaving the ANBU with leaves following them around all day was amazing enough as it was.

Taka decided right there and then that Taka wouldn't get involved if Uzumaki Naruto said he could do something. If he said he could do it, he probably could.

They had alighted on a thick branch overlooking the shadowed building. It was unlike any structure the ANBU operative had seen before; two conical shapes, one upended and placed on top of the other whilst the bottom was smaller than the cone above it. Windows were cut into the surface of the structure although there wasn't much light in the area to let in. It was suspended from the forest floor by thick cables attached to the surrounding trees and two plank-bridges extended from either side, serving as entrances and exits to the building. It was quite big and Taka didn't regret having doubts that the blond Jinchuuriki could destroy something like that in one go.

Naruto grinned and with a chuckle began forming handseals.

"Katon: Haisekishou!"

Taka's eyes widened behind the ANBU mask as the preteen blew out a huge cloud of ash. If that was lit by fire now they'd be toast! He had to move the cloud over to the building for it to have the effect he was obviously going for.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

Taka grinned behind the mask. Ingenious! Simply outstanding! Not only would the wind technique push the cloud of ash to its destination with the right control, but it would also fuel the fire and create a larger explosion.

The haze of ash drifted down towards the building, a large torrent of air whirling around it like a massive Rasengan. A shout of terror was heard and what must've been a guard jumped out from one of the entrances and began to advance in their direction. Taka hesitated for a moment, glancing at the Uzumaki heir to find him engrossed in the next set of handseals. Seeing that he was preoccupied and unprepared for dealing with this new threat, Taka started forward only to be stopped as a hand gripped her shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

Shishi-Taicho stood next to the two, Anko flanking his right hand side with a manic grin on her face. The Uchiha removed his hand and stepped back.

"Just watch. There's no way that guy is coming out alive from this."

Naruto finished sealing for his technique.

"Katon: KARYUU ENDAN!"

With a roar of power, a flaming dragon of pure heat shot from his mouth, speeding towards the ball of ash and wind. There were few words to describe the phenomenon that occurred as the two forces met.

The ball of ash and air only just covered the entirety of the building when the fire dragon hit. In a mighty explosion, the whole area was rocked as the building simply blew up in a majestic ball of orange and red. The Team of four were forced to shield their eyes from the brightness of the blast, the temperature suddenly sky-rocketing and baking the area dry of any moisture there may have been. The entire clearing lit up with the colour of the blast, charred rubble and ash flying outwards all around them.

It was the craziest, most insane use of three Jutsu any of them had ever seen. Taka turned fearful eyes on the twelve year old; he would be an absolute monster on the battlefield, it was a true shame that he had no intention of ever wearing the proud symbol of the leaf.

As the blast died down, a raging fire was left in its wake. The four stared at the inferno, the wood of the building only adding fuel to the flame. There was no sign of the guard and Naruto winced at what that meant. He'd killed more people on this mission than he had in his entire life. It was disconcerting and sickening to his very core, but deep down there was a small thrill of the kill, a baser instinct that seemed to be unafraid of everything the world had to offer.

'_Is this the answer to my fear?'_

Shisui glanced at the blond in concern. He had suddenly looked down at his hands with a steely glint to his sapphire eyes. What had he missed?

Shisui gasped as a thin Chokuto pierced his spine and exited through the front of his body. He was unable to see, unable to prevent the attack. His last thought before he collapsed, was who had the skill to sneak up on their team without any of them noticing.

And then all hell broke loose.

ZZZZZZ

And CUT! Whew, that was a monster of a chapter, eh? I got so caught up in writing this that I literally did about 7000 words in one sitting! I enjoyed it that much! Before you ask, I'm not answering any questions about Shisui, so don't bother. Everything will be answered next chapter.

Jutsu notes:

**Character Use:** Sarutobi Asuma  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack

Katon: Haisekishou is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. After forming the needed handseals, Asuma will expel an ash from his mouth. This large cloud begin to envelope his foe and when Asuma clicks his teeth, the cloud will ignite in an explosion.

**Character Use:** Orochimaru  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
**Type:** Attack

Fuuton: Daitoppa is a Ninjutsu technique which utilizes the Wind Element. After bringing his hand to his mouth, Orochimaru will blow a large blast of wind capable of leveling almost anything in its way. A variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

**Character Use:** Third Hokage  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
**Type:** Attack

Katon: Karyuu Endan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does a string of hand seals and the proceeds to blow a large jet of fire from their mouth.

**Character Use:** Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack

Omote Renge is a Taijutsu technique which was forbidden due to the strain it puts on a ninja's body. By opening the first of the Celestial Gates, the Initial Gate, the ninja is able to release the restraints in the brain and push the body farther. In Lee's case, he was able to increase his speed and power. To utilize the Omote Renge, Lee first loosens the bandages around his arm. With a quick dash he is suddenly below his target and a quick upward kick sends his opponent skyward. Lee then jumps into the air to place his chest to the back of his opponent. He then wraps his arms and the bandages around his opponent to prevent escape. As the pair begin their fall back to earth, Lee begins to spin downwards at a high rate of speed, driving his opponent head first into the ground. At the last moment Lee himself releases the bandages and jumps to the clear. Though the technique injures his opponent, it also takes its toll on Lee's body as well.

OMAKEOMAKEOMAKE! Sasuke's Horrifying Discovery!

ZZZZZZZZZ

"Sasuke-kun! Can you come down here for a minute?"

Uchiha Sasuke grumbled as his mother called him from his room for something he had not the slightest clue was about. Stomping heavily, he slid the door open and gazed upon the sight of his mother holding up his boxer shorts as she was doing the laundry.

"Awww, your hair looks so nice today! You should always keep it like that!"

The Uchiha scowled but didn't retort. He wouldn't rise to the bait, although it was quite likely that his mother had no clue that he had actually been turned into a girl.

"Sasuke-kun, I was just doing your laundry and I noticed some blood on your underwear. Are you ok?"

Sasuke stood, his mind blank.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke!"

'_N-No way....THIS.....THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!!!! YOU CAN'T CHANGE SOMEONE'S ORGANS INSIDE THEIR BODY BY A SINGLE SEAL!'_

"Sasuke, are you alright? You've gone deathly pale dear!"

With a strangled cry, the youngest Uchiha survivor fled the room.

Yes, he was in that time of the month for adolescent girls called _The Period._

ZZZZZZZZZ

Hope you liked it! Do leave a review and tell me what you think!

R&R People, R&R!

MegaB


	30. Chapter 30

HELLO, AND WELCOME TO THE NEWEST, BESTEST, BADEST INSTALLMENT OF K:NP! (Nope, I don't think some of those are words....) If I didn't reply to your review last time, I sincerely apologise, but as I said my new ISP was coming in so I didn't have internet since the 27th.

A HUGE THANK YOU to anothvortex who reviewed to get my count up to 1100! :D

Review Highlights go to jolteonforever, Scyth3 (Thank you for spotting those mistakes!), HermesUnbound (Succinct summary as always! You can write a freakin' review once this is finished ok?! ;D), InARealPickle (Another awesomely exhilarating review! By the way, I recently checked out your profile page and I have to say that it's one of THE BEST collections of stories I've seen! You had some that I'd totally forgotten about!) and Gia-Chan. Gia-Chan's review was as follows:

"What the heck is a budgie?  
And why are Naruto's teeth yellow? Is he neglecting his dental hygiene?

I'm sure this was a great chapter, but I was so distracted by those two  
questions from the beginning of the chapter that I had trouble enjoying the  
rest.

I just couldn't stop the mental image of Naruto with pointy yellow teeth from  
taking over."

Two words: Mega-LOLz

A big shout-out to luvindigo empress, musketau, The False One-Winged Angel and Hitokiri Onib. You guys are the some of the best readers on this site and that's no small praise! You're really thinking this through and you've come very close to guessing quite a few plot points that should be rather obscure for the moment. I can only say 'well done' from here, but you really are an asset to this site. Thank you very much for reading this; I'm flattered to have such outstanding reviewers.

Story Highlight goes to mrriddler's 'Genius of Konoha'. It's well-written, superbly planned and I have a distinct feeling that there's a whole lot more to the picture than the author is letting on. If you haven't read it, do so as soon as you can; it's a must-read!

And now.....what everyone has been waiting for....CHAPTER 30 OF K:NP!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

**Shisui gasped as a thin Chokuto pierced his spine and exited through the front of his body. He was unable to see, unable to prevent the attack. His last thought before he collapsed, was who had the skill to sneak up on their team without any of them noticing.**

**And then all hell broke loose.**

ZZZZZZZZ

Uchiha Shisui was a simple guy by most Shinobi standards. He'd grown up in a large, prestigious clan at the heart of the strongest country in the world and yet, he was nothing but frugal. He didn't posses the elitist stoicism that most of the rest of his clan seemed to share, nor did he have anyone to expect too much of him as seemed to be common in all of the major clans in Fire Country. He was the one Uchiha in Konoha that if someone bumped into him on the streets of Konoha, they would never have been able to tell that he hailed from the family of Sharingan users.

It took him an eternity to fall; at least, that's what it seemed like to his clouded mind.

His world retreated inwards around him, darkness seeping around the edges of his eyes and threatening to engulf him in its lonely abyss. He couldn't even register the pain as the thin blade of his attacker's Chokuto was pulled smoothly from his body. He was left suspended in the air; his face frozen in a mixture of shock and awe both from his current dilemma and from the amazing display of power shown from his young friend only moments ago.

How could things go so wrong, so quickly?

The setting sun painted his torso an orangey-red. He couldn't tell the difference between the blood soaking through the front of his muscle shirt or the rays of the heavenly body as it set for the day. He was sure the wind was howling in the background, yet all he could hear was a strange sort of buzzing; high pitched yet low at the same time.

'_Could...could that happen? Is such an oxymoron possible?'_

He tried to turn, to gaze upon his attacker, the one who had defeated him; a feat no other opponent had managed up till now. He knew he could die, _would die_ when the time for such an event would come to pass and yet....

He didn't think he was ready for it.

He fell so slowly, almost as if he was in a dream or an illusion. Was this how his enemies felt as they died, victims of their own confounded senses?

He would have shivered if he had control of his body but it didn't seem like his power extended that far. To be a Shinobi, he fought. To be a Shinobi, he killed. To be a Shinobi, he trained until he could train no more.

And to be a Shinobi, he would die.

As the final piece of the equation settled in his mind, it was as if a non-corporeal switch was flipped. The revered 'Shinkirou no Shisui', the feared illusionist of Konoha, fell prey to a stronger carnivore.

And so he fell.

XXXXXXXXX

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Team 9 paused on their respective perches as a humongous explosion tore through the canopy about half a mile away from their position. It was so large that the illumination from the raging inferno lit up the surrounding area even as far as they were away from it. Neji's body swayed from the backlash, his torso hanging from the branch of a tree by only one hand.

Maito Gai remained silent as his brow furrowed in anxiety. Something was very wrong here, he could feel it. For a Shinobi, feelings were everything in a life and death situation and although he wasn't in peril himself, he trusted his senses completely.

"Neji, Lee, Tenten. I want you to continue on to the Village. I'm going to take a look."

TenTen stared worriedly at her Sensei's eerily serious face. All of the usual boisterousness had disappeared from his demeanour, his face frozen in a frown of concern and dangerous expectation. It was an uncanny feeling; the sombre feeling that descended on the team as the one they called 'teacher' took off in the direction they had just come from.

The brown-haired Kunoichi bit her lip in consternation, a Kunai gripped tightly in her fist. She held it so forcefully that she could feel the coarse bandages wrapped around the hilt biting into the surface of her skin. Naruto was back there and Gai-Sensei could be trusted in a heartbeat when it came to his senses.

She couldn't lose him after regaining his friendship after so long.

She hesitated again as she hung upside down from the limb of an elm tree, its great, brown spread covering her form in shadow. She felt more than saw her two teammate's eyes boring into the back of her head.

"TenTen, don't even think about it."

She turned, her blazing gaze alighting on the proud Hyuuga's face. Neji was taken aback by the sheer amount of focused concentration in her chocolate orbs. They weren't the soft brown that he had come to associate with his female teammate over the year he had been on the team. They had hardened, a glint of pure steel within their depths. What could have coerced such an emotion in his teammate?

"TenTen-"

The pupil-less Hyuuga's eyes widened as his male teammate's arm flashed out in front of his face, blocking him from stepping towards her. He glanced sharply to his left to where Rock Lee was crouched, his hand supporting his form on the rough side of another tree.

"Go on TenTen. We know it's important to you."

Neji's eyes narrowed furiously at the one calling himself his rival. His voice came out in a low hiss, warning him of the stupidity of such an action.

"She's injured!"

Lee turned his deep black eyes on to his proud teammate, an unidentifiable emotion smouldering in their inky depths.

"There are things more important than the health of the body...."

"Isn't that right, TenTen?"

A shockwave of Chakra ripped through the clearing as the three members of Team 9 stood across from each other; a stalemate of tension thick in the air. Without a word, the weapons-mistress turned and leapt off in the same direction as her Sensei, her form quickly disappearing into the surrounding trees.

XXXXXXX

Anko had no idea what had happened. One second the entire clearing was lit up in a glorious fireball of death and doom and the next she was sent flying through the air, away from her teammates. She hadn't even had time to see what had become of her motley team as the tree they had been watching from seemed to have exploded from underneath them or something along those lines. There was one thing that she was sure of though.

Something had gone horribly wrong.

She landly fluidly, her hands already flashing through the seals for the Senei'Jashu. She spun on her heel, her back bending low to the ground as she released her Jutsu on the form that dropped from the trees behind her. The snakes ripped through the figure, the form dispersing into a flock of crows. She knew that Jutsu; there were only two people in the world that could do it and one of them was a Konoha Jounin. The other....

"Itachi..."

The name was a whisper on the wind, a fleeting memory of her old ANBU captain deep in the dredges of her memories. There was one thing that she knew for sure; she could not beat him, not in a hundred years.

"Anko."

The Tokubetsu Jounin turned towards the voice, her beige trench coat billowing to the side as a gust of wind buffeted her body. She held herself proudly; a subordinate facing her traitorous superior. His voice was emotionless as usual, exactly the way she remembered and his eyes were alight with the cursed red of the Uchiha's bloodline. A bubbling hate rose within her, tearing through her veins as it sought to grip her in the jaws of anger. If he was here, that could mean only two things. Either he had come to kill Shisui, or he had another objective that they were unaware of.

"What the hell are you doin' here, scumbag?"

Her teeth ground together in her anger, one hand gripping a Kunai in her utility pouch secured to her left hip. She knew she would go down if he decided to fight her, but at least she'd go down fighting.

Uchiha Itachi simply stared at her, a deadpan expression devoid of any emotion covering his features. It was one of the things she had hated the most about her ex-ANBU captain; he could do the most traumatic things and come out looking as if nothing had affected him in the least. It wasn't right....it wasn't _human._

"Come to finish the rest of your damned family?"

The teenage Missing-nin gazed up at the sky as if he hadn't even heard her question. He remained in that position for a moment, not even twitching as another breeze rustled through the trees.

"I admit, I didn't think you would be on this mission. It seems my intelligence was mistaken."

He said it so casually, like it wasn't a difference between life and death. Mission parameters were the most important things to any ninja. The success or failure hinged on the ability to adapt to any situation, but without the accurate framework to go with it, things could go drastically wrong, just like it had for Anko's team. She almost snorted at the irony.

She could take it no longer. Her arm snapped out, sending a Kunai flying through the air. She rolled to the right as a thin blade whistled over her head; the days spent in ANBU returning full force. The memories of a warrior were never forgotten and even if she hadn't used the true extent of her skills for a few years, she could use them when the situation called for it. Itachi was an amazing Shinobi, far better than anyone else in the Leaf most probably, yet she had known him for a while, fought alongside him through thick or thin. She would not go down easily.

She sprang backwards, her feet digging trenches in the soft, forest floor. Her right hand flew up to her mouth as a large Goukakyu erupted from her lips. She was forced to cartwheel as her own Jutsu was thrown back at her; the fireball doubling in size as the Uchiha murderer added his own to the mix. As long as she didn't meet his eyes, everything would be fine...

Her blood froze as she heard a whisper of his next technique.

"Sanzengarasu no Jutsu."

It was a lowly C-Rank technique, one that shouldn't be a problem to a Jounin of her stature, however Itachi was feared for his use of low-level Ninjutsu; he could use the smallest techniques and kill the strongest Shinobi with ease. She had seen many A and S-Rank missing-nin fall to this Jutsu, it was deadly in the right hands.

She grinned mirthlessly; that was probably why that idiot Aoba used it so much...

She tried to lean back and avoid the strike, but the tunnel of black crows obscured her vision in almost every direction. She could hardly see the world around her as she frantically attempted to locate her attacker.

The blade sunk so smoothly into her right shoulder. She hissed in pain as she attempted to staunch the wound with her fist, Itachi's Jutsu dispersing in the air as he reformed in front of her.

"You have improved Anko."

"S-Shut the hell up!"

She gasped as another stab of pain ripped through her body, a small geyser of blood and saliva shooting out of her mouth as she coughed. The Uchiha stood in front of her calmly, a single hand clenched around the hilt of his Chokuto. He seemed to stare off into the distance, looking at something nobody else could see.

"In truth lay lies, and in lies lay truth..."

The Mitarashi's head shot up as she stared wide-eyed at her ex-Captain.

'_I've heard that before!'_

"It seems that our young friend is proving most troublesome..."

Without any further warning, the Sharingan User's form popped out of existence, obscuring the purple-haired Kunoichi in a cloud of smoke.

'_Tch...flippin' clone...'_

She slid down to the earth, her hand still gripping her shoulder as her blood flowed from the wound. It was by no means life-threatening unless she bled to death, but she could already feel her consciousness waning. She hastily tore a strip of material from the hem of her coat and wrapped it over her shoulder with unfocused eyes. There was no time to assess whether the attention was effective or not, but she couldn't exactly complain in her haze-induced mind. Only time would tell if she wouldn't bleed to death.

And just like that, she faded into unconsciousness.

XXXXXX

For an elite ANBU agent, stealth was the key to success in almost any mission that could be thrown their way. They were always there, hiding in the shadows even in Konoha, but the truly terrifying thing about them was that they could appear and disappear with hardly a sound even in broad daylight.

Taka knew that the ex-ANBU Captain standing casually on the soft earth was a master of deception and stealth.

"I see. You're just a shadow clone."

Taka's eyes widened imperceptibly as three shuriken were flung towards Taka's position. The ANBU agent jumped backwards to gain some space, a standard-issue Katana sliding from Taka's sleeve.

"You must be new to ANBU; I have never seen you before."

Taka swung around desperately. The Uchiha had disappeared from the operative's sight, melting into the surroundings like a drop of water hitting the surface of a lake.

'_A Genjutsu?'_

Gloved hands rose, dispelling the illusion almost immediately, but it seemed that it just wasn't fast enough. Taka's Kage Bunshin popped as a solid blow hit the back of its head.

The fearsome Missing-nin turned towards the trees, blood-red eyes staring at the exact position of his opponent. Taka flinched as his gaze settled squarely on Taka's ANBU mask. How could he be so powerful? It was unreal...

In a flash of movement, the ANBU operative sped forward, hands up and blazing through seals. Taka's leg caught on the side of a tree and Chakra shone around the sole of the operative's feet. The adhesive properties of the energy caused the agent to spin around the stem, gathering a large amount of momentum from the movement.

'_Soushuuha!'_

A semi-circle of Kunai rose in front of the Shinobi's body as it swung around the tree. Taka let the hold go and the torrent of blades shot off towards the traitor almost at the speed of sound. A high pitched scream rent the air before a huge explosion rocked the area. Earth and rock was thrown high into the sky due to the high speed impact of the blades but Taka couldn't spot the Missing-nin anywhere.

"You are strong."

A masked head swung each way; up, down, left and right. Itachi was nowhere to be found.

"But you are inexperienced. You do not have the skill to fight the Sharingan."

'_The Sharingan! Shishi-Taicho has that Kekkei Genkai too! What can it do....THINK! What would he try to pull off in a fight to win?'_

Taka released the hold on the side of the tree, dropping like a tiger and landing lithely on the forest floor. The ANBU operative flicked the Katana into the air and caught it smoothly in a pale-skinned fist.

'_Genjutsu! Shishi-Taicho's speciality is layered Genjutsu!'_

Immediately, Taka attempted to dispel the illusions, knowing that if they were multi-layered, the release would have to be done several times. As the agent reached the third, Taka froze.

The point of a Kunai was placed against Taka's throat, the sharply honed edge like electricity against the operative's skin.

"Your team is strong. Maybe, if you had known how to fight me, you could have won."

Taka stared grimly through the ANBU mask, the crimson orbs of the Sharingan returning the favour with not a hint of emotion within them.

"It seems my time is cut short. Goodbye."

The hilt was reversed so fast that the ANBU agent could hardly see it, yet the solid 'thunk!' that followed was enough to knock Taka out.

Uchiha Itachi stared off into the distance, an almost contemplative look in his eyes.

One more to go.

XXXXXXXX

As he was blown back, Naruto spun in the air as he had been forced to do so many times throughout his training. Sparring with Anko and Kakashi meant that an attack could hit you from anywhere at any time; it was far more useful to have your eyes on your opponent no matter where you were or what Jutsu was roaring towards you. If there was any subterfuge planned, you could catch it before the next move in the battle was made and that was something the blond could appreciate.

How many times had he been shocked in a fight by his enemies appearing right in front of him?!

Too many to count.

A choked scream tore from his throat as he saw Shisui fall in the distance. He could do nothing to help his friend and the blood blossoming from the hole in his chest looked fatal. How had it turned out like this? Who had the skill to do such a thing?

He landed in an ungainly heap, one arm gripping the soft ground and another holding his shoulder where a thin cut was throbbing down his arm. It seemed that some of his wounds from his earlier stunt when rescuing TenTen hadn't quite healed. Even trees could be deadly depending on how they were used.

Shaking his head, he glared back at the direction he had been thrown from. The tree had literally exploded from underneath them and he knew from experience that it had been rigged that way. There was no Jutsu to simply blow things up from far away without any prior contact.

Someone had been expecting them.

He snarled in rage as three ex-Iwa nin landed around him. These were small fry. He didn't have time to waste when Shisui was in the state that he had seen. He had to get back there straight away. When he spoke, his voice was low and tinged with madness and venom.

"As a Shinobi, I'll give you one piece of advice."

The Missing-nin grinned at each other, obviously anticipating an easy fight from the age of the Konoha Jinchuuriki.

"When you come at me, aim for the kill."

His eyes snapped open, gleaming an unnatural electric blue as he glared at his opponents. His hair hung over his face, shadowing his right eye as a manic grin spread across his visage.

"Breathe as one."

"Move as one."

His hands came up, forming the Ram seal in front of him.

"And most of all-"

"Kill as one!"

For the first time in two years, the hilts of both the Wakizashi were seized from their sheaths. The dying sunlight caught on the edges of both blades as it filtered through the trees sending a magnificently perilous pattern of light dancing through the leaves. Chakra exploded outwards from the blonde's body, rooting the trio to the ground as they fought to throw off the sheer bloodlust radiating from the preteen. He disappeared in a burst of speed and the ex-Jounin could only stare around in shock. They could feel his Chakra, but they couldn't find out where he actually was.

"Tsukeshi, use that Jutsu!"

The heavyset, pale-faced ninja to the right nodded and dropped to his knees whilst forming hand seals. Slapping a flat palm on the earth, he called out his technique.

"Doton: Doryuu Katsu!"

A large earthen wall rose up in front of them, a huge tower of rock and mud. It slit down the middle and separated into two halves, trees uprooting all around as they were ripped from their roots. The other Shinobi in the group turned to the one who had spoken, an angry snarly colouring his face.

"To hell with this Takeshi! Our base is gone and we're fighting a little kid! We gotta find those Konoha-nin and take them down, that's our mission, ain't it?!"

Up in the trees, Naruto paused.

'_Mission?'_

"Shut yer trap yer big idiot! Where the heck do yer think the rest of the team's gone, huh? You think we can flippin' take them out when they killed nearly all of our team and blew up the hideout?! To hell with Orochimaru if you ask me!"

'_What the?! Orochimaru's involved in this?!'_

He growled low in his throat, the deep bass sound sending shivers up the Missing-nin's spines.

"He's gonna have to come from over the trench at least..."

Rock and dirt blew outwards as the blond Jinchuuriki came blasting through the left side of the wall, a Rasengan spinning in his hand. Takeshi was ready for the attack, his abilities higher than the rest of his comrades and he dodged to the left, the sapphire ball blowing his hair back from the force generated by its rotation. The Jutsu died in Naruto's hand as he let go of one of the Ryu-Zashi held in his left fist. Dropping low, he spun, catching the falling blade with his right and positioning the two blades horizontally, one at chest level the other lower down. He spun like a top, avoiding the crushing fist sent towards his head. As he whirled around low to the ground, he slashed at the brown-haired man's legs, cutting deep into his shins. The man cried out in pain as blood flew from his wounds, but Naruto was by no means finished.

Something inside him had snapped; whether it was due to Shisui getting stabbed or the constant battles against his own resolutions, all he wanted right now was to destroy these people, tear them into tiny pieces for the pain and sorrow that he was feeling. The very emotions he had run away from, seeking to leave them far behind so that he would never have to experience them again, constantly reappeared within his soul. There was no end, no shield, nothing that could save him from the heart-rending pain that he alone seemed to feel on a constant level. He knew he wasn't the most stable person around, but he didn't expect his childhood to have such a large and prolonged effect on his mind.

As he spun around on the balls of his feet, he raised his height. This time his pair of blades slashed cleanly into the man's stomach and gut, spattering the blonde's head with a foul concoction of fluids. He didn't care about his state; he only wanted this guy to feel even an ounce of his pain.

On his final spin, he straightened fully, his Wakizashi raised to his enemy's neck and upper torso. This time a pulse of Elemental Chakra ran down the blade and the other two Missing-nin could only watch in horror as Takeshi's body was thrown backwards, his head flying from his shoulders with a spout of blood spraying from the disconnected Jugular Vein in the dead man's neck. They stepped back in terror as the 12 year old completed his last revolution, his eyes rising to meet them in a silent challenge of death.

He was a despicable sight. The dying sunlight caught the scarlet liquid splotched all over his face and dripping down his chin. An unidentifiable yellow fluid was splattered under his right eye as it trailed down his cheekbone and mixed with the blood. His eyes glinted a mortifying purple as the electric blue was caught in the orangey-reds of the setting sun. It was a picture of death and despair, one seen in only the hardest veterans in the World; those ANBU agents who had remained as operatives for too long, their job taking its toll on their souls.

He suddenly disappeared again, a spectre in the trees. The two Shinobi shook in fear of the boy; he was so young yet he was a killing machine of the highest order. His eyes were devoid of any light, empty depths of blue that seemed to stare right through you as if you were a ghost to the World. They couldn't even begin to speculate how the preteen's life must have been. How were Konoha raising their new generation?!

Naruto didn't feel anything as the edge of his blade cut cleanly through the apparent 'leader's' neck. He felt hollow apart from a small thrill from deep within his consciousness. He wasn't enjoying this, but he wasn't unhappy either. They would pay for what they had done to Shisui and to hell with the consequences!

He performed his Invisibility Jutsu and jumped into the trees to see how the remaining two would react. They seemed stricken, unable to move from the speed that the brown-haired man's life had been taken from him. Maybe he should have given them more advice?

Without any warning, a solid fist slammed into his nose, the fragile cartilage cracking from the pressure and sending him tumbling from his perch. He had been invisible to the eye and he had his bastardised version of the Chakra Beacon active too! No-one should have been able to attack him!

He landed with a thump, clumps of earth poking into his back from the ground movement when that guy had used the Doton Jutsu. He hastily rolled to the side and sprang to his feet, blood gushing from his broken nose all the while. The ex-Iwa Shinobi stood silently watching at the edge of the clearing, the trench having failed when the user had lifted his hand from the ground. Without a sound, a black-clad figure appeared in their midst, Sharingan orbs spinning as they analysed the surroundings.

White hot rage coursed through the Uzumaki heir's body like lightning. His head shot up as he hurled his two Ryu-Zashi at the man; wind Chakra boosting them from behind

"MADARA!"

Itachi's eyes widened in absolute shock at the speed of the blades and the name shouted from the 12 year old's mouth. He couldn't dodge that completely, he could hardly track them even with his Sharingan!

One of the blades whistled over his head as he flopped backwards but the second tore into his leg, the blow strong enough to dispel the clone. In a puff of smoke, the Kage Bunshin disappeared and Naruto once again turned to his two other opponents. His anger only grew as he stared down at them and something within him stirred; a terrible power filled with evil intent and bloodlust rose from within, his irises dilated and then slit down the middle as his orbs flashed crimson. Red Chakra exploded around his form as he snarled, one of the Shinobi dropped to the ground in terror, landing on his backside on the soft earth of Wave Country.

A Nine-Tailed Fox smiled a smirk of devilish glee. An opportunity had presented itself and to Madara's protégé no less. He would be foolish not to take advantage of the situation.

Naruto leapt forward, his hand outstretched.

XXXXXXX

Shisui was dying, he could feel it. He had fallen in battle to the only one he had ever called 'brother'. He laid face-down in the mud, his breath hitching in his throat at the pain radiating from the hole in his torso. It had happened so fast that he would have thought it his imagination, yet the fact that he couldn't move anything but his arms and head spoke otherwise.

He turned his head, his neck jerking awkwardly as his chin dug into the mud below it, smearing his face with brown and green. Itachi stood over him, his Chokuto held firmly in his grasp, blood dripping down its length.

Shisui's blood, the blood of the Uchiha.

"W-Why, Itachi?"

And then he noticed. The Uchiha's murderer was crying, weeping tears of sorrow as he gazed down at his once best-friend. His eyes trembled and his body shook. He seemed to have trouble drawing breath; Shisui had never seen the prideful Uchiha with that kind of expression on his face.

Itachi turned and walked towards the edge of the clearing, the blast from Naruto's fireball and his own exploding notes having torn into the ground and uprooted any vegetation in a three hundred metre radius. He stopped as he reached the edge of the clearing and glanced back.

"In the underground chamber of the Uchiha Shrine, there is a scroll...A scroll hidden from the eyes of the World and those who wish to seek it."

Shisui gasped as another tremor ran through his body. He was paralysed from the waist down and when he had woken up, Itachi had been there, staring down at him with the most heart-wrenching expression of loss and regret.

"The reality of the Mangekyou Sharingan is one unknown, even to the majority of our clan. I despise it; a despicable power of murder and hate, a power that would destroy even the worst of mankind should they acquire it."

He flicked his blade, the blood flying from the deadly edge like raindrops.

"It has only one requirement for an Uchiha; for the one who has reached the highest level of the Sharingan, he would only have to kill his closest friend."

Shisui choked in shock; blood and phlegm spitting from his throat in a pool by his head.

"I was ordered by Madara to acquire this power, to better aid his organisation in the future. For the last few years I have been working in a group called the 'Akatsuki', our goal to capture the Bijuu and use them to prevent war and suffering from ever blighting the surface of this land again."

"T-That's utter c-crap!"

Itachi turned back towards him, his mouth a thin smile.

"It seems that I couldn't kill you once again..."

He laughed mirthlessly, a light sound alien from his mouth.

"Just like before...I couldn't raise my hand for the final blow! To Kaa-san, to Sasuke, to you!"

Tears streamed down his face, the sight of a pitiful man forced to endure the worst experiences life had to offer again and again. His mind was broken, his heart shattered. The only thing he had left to cling to, were his hopes for death and the survival of his family, the very family he had almost completely destroyed with his own blood-soaked hands. He uttered a strained sound, halfway between a scream and a laugh, a testament to the agony in his soul. Shisui realised at that point just how far his best friend had deteriorated. His mind had cracked under the pressure of his motivation, the essence of trying to protect everything he held dear in its entirety, even to the extent of sacrificing himself to do so. He was far stronger, far nobler than anyone gave him credit for.

And the worst thing? The worst thing was that nobody would even know of the sacrifice he made.

"Everyone lives bound by their own knowledge of awareness, that's called 'Reality'."

He turned then, his blood-soaked eyes staring up at the dying light as the sun's tip fell below the horizon.

"But knowledge and awareness are vague, perhaps better named 'Illusions'. Everyone lives within their own subjective illusion..."

His eyes shifted, his gaze focused entirely on the injured Uchiha's face.

"How far can you see with that Sharingan?"

"At the coming of the moon you must ensnare the Kai no Sharingan in the void of its own melancholy. Turn its power into its weakness and reduce the immortal to nothing but a decrepit shell of a being. Only then will he be defeated."

'_W-What is he talking about?!'_

His arm came up and wiped his eyes free of moisture, his Sharingan spinning in the lengthening shadows of twilight.

"Live on Shisui. I fear that the next time we meet; I will have no choice but to remove you from this world. There is one that can defeat us and I think you know who that is..."

Shisui could only blink at the cryptic words spoken to him. When his eyes opened again, Itachi was gone.

XXXXXXX

"How did you find me?"

Itachi landed in the destroyed terrain sprayed with blood and gore. The evening had turned from peaceful to dark and terrible so quickly that the world seemed to shake from what it was being forced to witness.

Uzumaki Naruto stood at the centre of all the carnage, a swirling red cloak of malevolent Chakra bubbling around him and a single tail waving at his back. His eyes were ringed with shadows, the orbs a glowing red and slit down the middle like an animal. Sharp fangs poked from the sides of his mouth, his lips twisted in terrible snarl of fury.

"I have seen that Jutsu before Naruto-kun. It has a single weakness to one who has experienced it; by spreading your Chakra evenly, the epicentre will always be directly in the middle of the output. I am surprised that you had not noticed this before."

Naruto threw back his head and roared into the sky, a torrent of crimson energy exploding from him once again. His head snapped back down to the Uchiha and he launched himself forward on all fours.

Itachi had experienced fear only three times in his life. Once when he had first met Madara under the cover of night and the second when he had feared for his soul and the agony from killing most of his family. But what he was facing now was on a different level.

It was inhuman, a force unlike anything else walking on the face of the earth. The Kyuubi's power was honed to the very edge; the example of a Gallows sharpened till the cutting side was but a nanometre in width. Its power was immense yet it had complete mastery of it, able to focus its Chakra for the most devastating effect. Itachi had been 6 years old when the monster had attacked Konoha and that had been the only other time he had truly feared for his life. The sheer amount of _**evil**_ that rolled off of the _beast_ had been enough to crush the weaker minds from miles away. Pregnant women had been forced into labour, some civilians were driven insane and the younger Shinobi population were frozen from the amount of hate that had pervaded the very air they had breathed. It was otherworldly, a foreign concept that nobody could ever understand unless they had faced it and even then they would be hard-pressed to describe the feeling in words.

And here he was, facing a ninth of that power once again; he could only feel regret that he had hurt the Jinchuuriki so much that he had been willing to rely on such an immoral power.

He dodged quickly, a clawed fist almost tearing his head from his neck, the brimming crimson power generating a strong breeze by his ear. He ducked low to avoid the sweeping red tail that swung for his head. The blond Jinchuuriki was forced to follow through, spinning around in a full circle and dropping to all fours.

Itachi's hands blurred, so fast that Naruto could not even see the handseals. The Uchiha's murderer performed his Jutsu with such speed that he even had time to whip out a brace of Shuriken and fling them at the enraged container. Naruto batted them away, his fangs bared in a snarl of rage, yet he was unprepared for the ability that the teenager possessed.

In consecutive movements, a ball of water shot out from the Uchiha's mouth and a clone appeared behind the blond, a Kunai held within its fist. Naruto roared again, his cloak of crimson Chakra blasting out all around him and throwing the Kage Bunshin backwards at high speed. The Shuriken bounced off his body harmlessly; the cloak protecting him and damaging him at the same time.

"Are you sure that was wise?"

The Uzumaki's eyes widened as the clone exploded from behind him, throwing him forward into a tree. He slammed right through, splinters flying as the wood groaned and began to collapse sideways. His single tail waved as he pushed himself to his feet, the tree smashing into the ground and throwing up a screen of wooden chips and pine needles.

"I never thought you would succumb to such a beast, Naruto-kun. Are you not strong enough by yourself?"

Naruto attacked again with such ferocity that the Uchiha was hard-pressed to respond. He dodged and rolled, jumped and cart wheeled; he had no time to counterattack with the speed and power behind the blonde's blows. Sweat poured from his brow, his eyes a blur as he sought to keep track of the unpredictable movements made by his opponent. He could hardly track the cloak, almost as if it had a mind of its own. In a last ditch effort to regain control he ducked another swipe of the Jinchuuriki's arm, his feet planted at an even distance apart, his head tucked to his belly.

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu."

A massive inferno of fire erupted from his lips, the size of which Naruto had never seen before. In his anger-hazed mind, he didn't even consider avoiding it and so he blasted right through. At first, the heat stung his skin, burning his pale complexion a lurid pink. Again he roared, another blast of red Chakra screaming through the fireball and dispersing it from the centre outwards. He landed on all fours, the forest floor charred and flames rising all around him as the trees caught fire.

And then Itachi was in his face.

Naruto barely dodged the powerful haymaker aimed for his head, but the older Uchiha was by far his superior at Taijutsu. Itachi's fist rotated behind his head, turning and grasping the collar of his black muscle shirt. The Uchiha murderer's hand began to burn, yet he held doggedly on; a vice-like grip of pure steel as he stared hard into the ruby eyes of the Bijuu infected preteen.

The world flashed before him and all went dark.

XXXXXXX

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in a dark and damp room, surrounded on three sides by huge walls of cracking concrete and rotting pipes. The last and final side was covered in a huge set of bars stretching up towards the ceiling further than the eye could see. In his curiosity, he turned to discover anything else about this chilling abode he found himself in.

"So this is where the Kyuubi no Youko is sealed?"

The Konoha Jinchuuriki flinched as he sighted Uchiha Itachi standing calmly knee-deep in the murky water flooding the room. He looked down at his own feet to find that he too was standing in the grey liquid. Where were they and what were they doing here?

"Bijuu, I request your presence. There is something I wish to discuss."

He felt it then; the raw hate that bubbled up behind the bars, the cage that held back a monstrous beast of such power and disparaging hate that it could be felt from miles away. A dim crimson glow throbbed behind the prison, the length and width of the seal immeasurable to the naked eye. A chilling, haunting chuckle filled the air as a humongous maw, the size of a skyscraper pushed itself up to the bars, two slit, red eyes peering dangerously down at them as if they were worms addressing a mighty warrior long forgotten. Naruto stepped back in fright; the sheer menace and danger exuding from the fox scared him to the roots of his soul, the eyes glaring balefully from their vantage point; assessing him and deeming him unworthy to stand in the presence of one so capable of ripping him to shreds if he so wished.

"**Heh heh heh heh....Uchiha..."**

The mouth opened in a wicked grin, revealing two rows of gleaming white fangs honed to their very edges. Steam billowed through the cracks as the giant fox exhaled, a gush of wind throwing their clothes against their bodies as they stared at the malevolent Bijuu in front of them.

"Kyuubi no Youko."

Red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"**Impressive that you are able to see me inside of Naruto, that would be the power of that accursed Sharingan..."**

Itachi held his gaze although sweat dripped from the point of his chin, the droplet plopping into the murky water and resonating throughout the expansive room.

"**Such power you hold in your gaze....not unlike Uchiha Madara once held..."**

Naruto's head snapped upwards, his eyes focusing to incredible levels as his mind sharpened on what the beast had said. How did it know that name, and why was it choosing this time to reveal itself?

He turned to look at Itachi.

'_Does he have something to do with this?'_

"**I may not see you again, but heed my words."**

The crimson fox turned its head as if to dismiss his audience and Itachi raised his hand only to be stopped when the beast spoke once more.

"**Tell your master...tell Uchiha Madara...do not kill Naruto."**

"**A price to be paid requires a debt to be established."**

Its form disappeared into the darkness as it moved away, its deep scratchy voice echoing around the room.

"**He will...regret it..."**

XXXXXXX

Naruto gasped and recoiled, his power leaving him as he dropped to his knees. The air was suffocating and humid, the heat from the forest fire causing steam to raise from the damp, soft earth of Nami no Kuni. He sucked in a breath, raising his quivering gaze to his opponent who hadn't moved an inch throughout the whole ordeal. The blonde's body shook as cold sweat drenched his clothes through; he had never thought, never believed that there could be anything more completely devious and menacing than the true perpetrator of the Uchiha Massacre. And yet...

The Kyuubi was in a league of its own.

'_Th-That....__**THING**__ is sealed within me?!'_

He could hardly believe it. How was his small, frail body able to contain such a powerful entity? The Chakra alone was potent enough to overwhelm him, even a small portion of it! How was it possible that he could house such a dangerous beast within an ink seal on his gut?!

It was inconceivable, so remotely possible that his respect for the Yondaime Hokage raised a few notches. You had to be amazingly powerful to even face the beast one-on-one let alone best it and seal it within something.

His eyes caught movement about half a kilometre away through the thinning trees, the flames crackling all around them extending his distance of sight. The area was becoming increasing perilous; branches were cracking off and tumbling to the ground whilst alight, throwing up sparks and adding fuel to the flame. The heat was slowly increasing in temperature, the smoke and steam billowing into the air in great clouds, stinging the eyes and clouding their vision. Naruto's eyes watered profusely as he struggled to draw breath; oxygen was becoming scarce, he had to get out of here soon.

"Next time..."

Naruto jumped at the sudden speech from the Uchiha.

"The next time we meet, I will have no choice but to fight."

Naruto was frozen to the ground as Itachi walked towards him with slow, measured steps. For some reason he couldn't move; had the Uchiha done something to him within the seal?

Itachi stopped in front of him, a single hand raised as he poked the blond on the forehead, a small smile gracing his lips.

"I used to do this once...a long time ago..."

He crouched low to the ground, spreading his arms wide as he prepared to jump.

"I hope you will be ready by then..."

Naruto simply stared as Itachi disappeared into the darkness right before the Jounin Sensei of Team 9 landed next to him.

"NARUTO!"

He gave a start as a bun-haired girl caught him in a tight hug as she gazed worriedly into his eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"TenTen, we have no time for this! Naruto-san, where are the rest of your team?"

Naruto simply stared ahead, unable to answer through the blank void in his mind. Gai sighed before making handseals and slamming his right hand onto the surface of the cracked earth.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke a large turtle appeared. It stared around in slight confusion but seemed to realise the urgency of the situation as it stared at its master, awaiting further orders.

"Kametsuchi! I need you to find the others; you'll know them when you see them!"

The turtle nodded, the swirling ink patterns painted all over its shell creating a mesmerising effect to anyone who beheld it. It turned and plodded slowly into the flames. TenTen recoiled as Naruto's head swung upwards, an eerily glint in his sapphire eyes. Without a word he turned and sped off into the burning trees, ash and dust flying in his wake.

"Naruto, wha- WAIT!"

Gai swung at her shout, his eyes narrowing at the running blond.

"No time to waste TenTen. Young Naruto must know something we do not."

They followed him, the Sensei and student sticking together but keeping a pace so that they could still see the leading blond. It was hard going for the weapons-mistress; she hardly ever had to run at this speed and the cracked, barren ground was difficult to traverse, she was tiring far faster than she normally would. Finally they reached a clearing that seemed to be largely untouched apart from a moderately sized crater directly at the centre. TenTen gasped and she heard her Sensei breathe in sharply.

"Shisui...Shisui....don't die on me...please..."

Naruto's voice was cracked with fear. His voice came out harsh and low, despair shuddering through his frame. He looked so small, so thin. He did not fit in the picture that the ninja had made.

Maito Gai walked resolutely forward, his boots greying as they crunched through the burnt forest floor. The fire had died out in this area but there was an even larger inferno burning a little ways to the north. Soon the two fires would connect and the whole forest would likely go under.

"Naruto-san."

The Konoha Jinchuuriki looked up with watering eyes as the green-clad Jounin placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Gai's eyes widened slightly as he took in the state of the 12 year old for the first time; his clothes were torn and ragged, hanging from his torso like tissue paper. They had lost all their colour, curling and crumbling from the forces they had been subjected to. The cloth was splattered with blood and a myriad of other substances, unidentifiable by their colours. He was really beaten up; his eyes were shadowed and ringed from fatigue, large bags swelling under them. He carried himself slightly bent, his form haggard as if the world was pressing down on his shoulders and he would buckle at any second from the weight. The thing that frightened the Jounin though, was his arm bracers; they were twisted and bent in odd directions. Gai didn't know what kind of blow could have caused such a force on the hardened steel that they were made from.

"Do you know any Water Jutsu?"

He nodded vaguely.

"We need to put this fire out before it hurts anyone even further."

Naruto stood, his eyes devoid of light. He walked to the perimeter of the clearing and raised his hands slowly.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu."

A large water dragon spewed forth from the voluminous mass of water running just beyond the trees. It rose up, a formidable weapon, before streaming down and collapsing over the burning trees to the north. A large hiss sounded through the tree as the flame was doused, smoke and ash rising into the air. The blond walked robotically towards the next source and was about to continue when Gai stopped him.

"It's okay, I can handle the rest."

He nodded mechanically. He plodded back to the Uchiha's fallen form and dropped to his knees once more.

"He's alive, Sensei!"

Gai breathed a sigh of relief at TenTen's cry. At least they hadn't lost the Captain but he really needed to find the others. He paced from side-to-side as he awaited the confirmation from Kametsuchi.

"Naruto, you've got to get him out of here. Take him to a hospital in Wave. He's losing too much blood and if we leave it too late he'll die anyway."

"B-but how? How can I get him there on time?! How can I-I-"

"NARUTO! LOOK AT ME!"

Naruto gazed up at his friend and memories and feelings flashed through him. He remembered everything that had happened between them, times when he had been happy and content to sit back and watch how the world continued around him, times when he had been focused only on getting stronger to alleviate the burden of death threats and insecurity. TenTen had been a friend and then simply neutral. He would remember all these things forever, he couldn't help it, but right now he needed to act.

TenTen's heart trembled at the sight of the once proud and joyful blond, the once king of pranks who would have seemed out of place without a smile on his face. It was like the world was falling down around him and he was powerless to stop it. It was heartbreaking and she would do whatever she could to help him no matter how small it was; a small favour when put beside everything he had done for her.

"Your Airboard, you can take him on that!"

Naruto's eyes widened but then turned sceptical.

"H-He'd fall off without anything to stick...him..."

_Taka sat by the fire, her head resting on her knees that were pulled up to her chest. He was almost certain of the ANBU agent's identity by now but he was sure that the operative still thought that nobody on the team had any doubts._

"_I've heard you're good at sealing?"_

_Naruto grunted absently. They had camped out for the night and Shisui hadn't assigned him a watch so he was free to sleep if he wanted. According to the Uchiha, as he wasn't a Shinobi of the leaf, conventional rules didn't apply to him. Naruto knew that he was just showing he cared._

"_I confess, I am confused with the design of your Airboard."_

_Naruto raised an eyebrow in question, not sure if Taka could even see through the small eyeholes cut into the mask. Something must have tipped the operative off that he was curious though as Taka answered his unspoken question._

"_Why is it that you do not have a Chakra Sticker Seal to keep you in place rather than having to keep a constant amount of Chakra running through the soles of your feet?"_

_Naruto chuckled slightly at the question._

"_Oh that's easy! Here I thought you were gonna ask me somethin' all ANBU-like and I wouldn't be able to answer!"_

_Taka's head tilted to the side in confusion. Naruto was almost certain he knew who the shadowy nin was now._

"_See, if I had a sticky seal then I wouldn't be able to move would I? I'd have to build the entire thing into the sticky seal so that I could fly without having to step on different areas of the board!"_

_He felt rather than saw the Shinobi's eyebrows rise at his terminology. He never claimed that he knew the stuff anyway._

"_Would that not be easier?"_

_Naruto grinned._

"_Easy, maybe, but it'd take ages to figure out and I really can't be bothered, ya' know?"_

_A comfortable silence descended around the pair as they stared off into the night. The sky was clear and the stars were out in full force. Naruto sighed in contentment as he gazed up at the beautiful constellations in awe._

"_I thought of it though! I thought maybe I wouldn't have that problem if I used a sticky seal on one foot, but left the other free. I actually tried that one too."_

_He chuckled good-naturedly, a light sound in the serene and sable twilight._

"_Heh, it didn't go too well! See, by doin' that I reduce how much I can move and when you're up in the air you need to be able to change direction real quick. It just won't work that way."_

_He rubbed an imaginary pain at the side of his neck and Taka winced under the mask. It must have been painful..._

Sticky seals...that was the answer. He pulled out a scroll from his utility pouch, the button seemingly ripped from the lid in a previous fight. As TenTen stared in confusion he rolled it out and channelled his Chakra into the seal depicted on its surface. With a small pop, an ink brush set appeared in front of him and he immediately pulled his Airboard from his back and got to work. He worked quickly and quietly, his strokes precise and confident. It only took him about a minute to finish; it was one of the easiest seals and he had messed around with it so many times that he could probably have pulled it off in his sleep. Stowing his equipment in his pouch, he grasped the Uchiha's arm lightly and placed it on the seal. It stuck immediately.

A small smile of triumph that didn't quite reach his eyes curled the side of his lips. He pulled out his brush and began painting another, larger seal, identical to the first, further up towards the front. When he had finished he placed Shisui's body with the help of TenTen, gently onto the seal.

"Gai-san, I'm going to take Shisui to Wave on my Airboard."

Gai nodded, the shock from the blonde's sealing prowess still on his face.

"Don't worry Naruto-san, I have everything covered here. You should get going straight away."

TenTen smiled softly at him and his spirits rose slightly. He hopped onto the board and directed his Chakra to the Elemental seals on its surface. With a final glance down, he took off in a cloud of ash and smoke.

XXXXXXXX

Desperation filled him, an anxiety and worry of great proportions as he raced through the skies towards the Village on the outskirts of Nami no Kuni. He didn't care what happened, he didn't care about his own wellbeing; Shisui was dying and it was his entire fault. If only he had been stronger and faster, if only he hadn't relied on that damned fox's power, maybe he could have saved him before anything had hurt him.

His memories with the older Uchiha flashed through his mind, all the good times he had shared with him racing over his mind's eye. He flew right through a low-hanging cloud, drenching his clothes with water as it condensed from his body heat. He looked down at his friend; he was unconscious again, small ice crystals forming on his skin from the chill of flying this high. The blood from his wound had been staunched and it almost looked like he was sleeping. The serene demeanour was ruined by the dried blood covering his face and congealing in his hair. He remembered that same pale face when he had first met him, a victim of one of the blonde's earliest stunts. He had laughed and thrown it off as an honest mistake; that grin that was so frequent on his features.

They had fought side-by-side through the worst situations, always appearing with identical grins on their faces. They had eaten and trained together, argued and mocked each other. They had been like family to the other.

He couldn't lose him; his soul was already so badly wounded.

He pushed his body to the limit, straining every last drop of Chakra into the Elemental seals on his Airboard. The high-pitched whine of the air screaming in his ears as he gradually reduced his height as he passed over the Village. Wave's hospital was a small building much further in; he had seen it briefly the first time he had come here. He didn't know if it was still located in the same place but he didn't have the time to think about that.

He circled around the area, his mind going blank as he recognised the building that was once a hospital. It was empty, the windows boarded up and no light from within. The sun had fully set and with the onset of night, lights should have been on at this time. The building was devoid of any life.

Desperation seized him in its iron grip once again. He swung around on his Airboard, frantically searching for someone to ask for directions. There wasn't a Villager in sight; it seemed that everyone had turned to the warmth of their homes already.

He almost screamed in frustration. Shisui was _**dying **_and he couldn't do anything about it! He was slowly dropping into madness, something he had sworn to avoid so many times. With a jolt he remembered the map that his friend had shown them back at the camp. Hovering in the air, he bent down to reach into the Uchiha's utility pouch and pulled a thin scroll from it. Biting his thumb, he swiped blood across the seal and channelled Chakra into it.

Nothing happened.

"DAMN IT!"

He swiped his thumb again and again until his skin grew raw from the friction. A large welt grew on the calloused appendage and the seal just wouldn't budge.

'_Why...why won't it open?!'_

He glared down at his obstacle, sweat dripping from his brow, his heartbeat racing at a mile a minute. He had to open it, he had to find a hospital, and he had to...save....Shisui....

"SHISUI! The seal must be coded for his blood only!"

He was loath to do it, but he had no choice. Crouching down, he wiped a bit of blood from his friend's injury onto the seal and channelled Chakra into it once again. This time the seal disappeared with a pop and the scroll rolled open. Rolling the scroll back up, he gripped it between his teeth allowing his hands to form handseals. He cursed again as the Airboard dropped slightly from his Chakra redirecting for the Hibana as it activated between his fingers. The small spark generated enough light to allow him to see the details on the map in the darkness. He scanned the squiggly lines frantically, looking for anything that would hint at a hospital in the Village. His anxiety grew as he found nothing; no building names, no signs for emergencies, nothing.

He was about to toss the scroll in his anger but suddenly noticed one of the red-ringed areas with Shisui's scruffy handwriting and an arrow pointing to it. It was the house that their client was located in a few streets down from his current position. He would surely know where the hospital was.

He accelerated down the street, rubbish and trash cans being thrown out the way as he was carried by the wind. Side-streets whizzed by; he had no time to stop and contemplate on how far the once miserable Village had progressed since his last visit. With a loud whine, he drifted to his right, just in time to barely scrape a building as he completed his turn. He came to rest outside a moderately sized house covered in the deep shadows of night. A few lights were shining through the windows of the two-storeys, the occupants having returned to home by now.

Jumping from his board, he ran to the portcullis, rapping his knuckles mercilessly into the green oak door. He heard a light 'Hai!' and the plodding sound of footsteps as he waited impatiently for the door to open. With a scrape of a lock, the hinges groaned as the door was pulled inwards.

"What can I do for-"

The petite woman screamed, her sight resting on the blond-haired boy covered in blood and all sorts of other bodily fluids. With a start Naruto recognised the woman.

"Ts-Tsunami-san?"

The woman gasped, her hands held up to her mouth as she struggled to hold in the bile rising in her throat.

"N-NARUTO-KUN?!"

He nodded slowly and she stepped back in slight disgust.

"Wh-what happened to you?!"

He could only stare at her dimly, his eyes lifeless. A pair of pounding feet came running down the stairwell that rose from the right of the hallway that led off from the front door.

"Tsunami! What's wrong?"

"Tazuna-Jii?"

The old bridge builder recoiled in shock as he took in the state of the boy standing at his front door. The image of the boisterous blond from two years ago unable to reconcile with the blood-drenched sight in front of him.

"Jii-san...I really need a hospital right now, Shisui's dying."

He didn't know how he managed to say it so calmly. It was a far cry from what he felt in his heart at the same time but somehow his nerves responded to the dire situation he was being faced with. Two sets of eyes silently followed his pointing hand and Tsunami gasped again at the unconscious form of the ANBU Captain who had called on them earlier.

"Kid, what the hell happened?"

"YOU DON'T FLIPPIN' NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW! HE NEEDS A HOSPITAL!"

Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide at the stinging shout that had tore from his mouth before he could stop it. He was desperate, so very desperate that his senses were leaving him. The woman and her father seemed to snap out of their funk and immediately responded to his words.

'_At least' _he thought ruefully _'At least they're listening now...I'll apologise later.'_

Tazuna ran out the front door.

"Follow me, brat! We'll get him there in no time! Tsunami! Make sure Inari didn't wake up, I'll try to be back as soon as I can!"

She nodded mutely, her shocked and worried gaze rooted to the blond 12 year old hastily following after her father. What was wrong with him? What had happened to him? Why was he covered in so much...so much blood?

She shut the front door slowly, her mind faint and a strange buzzing ringing in her ears. He looked for all intents and purposes like the living dead; his face was unearthly pale, his eyes staring ahead as if not really seeing what he was looking at.

Try as she might, she just couldn't rid her mind of the frightening image of the blond. She wouldn't be sleeping that well tonight...

ZZZZZZ

WHEW! A monster of a chapter let me tell you! The amount of background plot elements I had to work in here was staggering! I spent about a total of 4-5 hours on onemanga going over all the relevant chapters and trying to get my head around everything. Itachi's style of fighting where he mainly stands in the same place and uses super-speed consecutive Jutsu was very hard to pull off. I must say, I'm quite happy with how I've done it though!

Jutsu notes:

**Senei'Jashu:**

**Viz Translation:** Striking Snake Technique  
**Character Use:** Orochimaru, Mitarashi Anko, Uchiha Sasuke  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack

Senei'Jashu is a Ninjutsu technique that manifests a snake which extends from the sleeve. The ninja can extend these snakes to attack a target. Once extended the snake can bite into the target to hold and bind them.

**Sanzengarasu no Jutsu:**

**Character Use:** Yamashiro Aoba  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
**Type:** Attack, Supplementary

Sanzengarasu is used by Konoha ninja Yamashiro Aoba. Aoba will call upon a murder of crows, these crows will fly around the target, causing confusion with their dark forms and quick movement. A comrade of Aoba can move within the flock wearing dark clothes and wielding a dark weapon almost undetected. With the target distracted by the crows, the ninja can strike more easily. Also the mass of crows can obscure any retreating ninja. When no longer needed, the murder of crows will simply puff away in smoke.

**Soushuuha:**

**Character Use:** Yashamaru, Chiyo  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
**Type:** Attack

Soushuuha is a Ninjutsu technique used by Sand ninja Yashamaru. This technique allows Yashamaru to hover multiple kunai in the air while he approaches a target. The technique allows a ninja to unleash a torrent of kunai much more quickly than if each was thrown individually.

**Doton: Doryuu Katsu:**

**Character Use:** Yamato  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
**Type:** Attack, Supplementary

Doton: Doryuu Katsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals, then place their hand to the ground. This will cause the earth to rise up and split apart. Once the ninja removes their hand from the ground, the earth parting will end.

**Bunshin Bakuha:**

**Character Use:** Uchiha Itachi  
**Rank:** A  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack

Bunshin Bakuha is a Ninjutsu technique utilized by Uchiha Itachi. At first glance the clone appears to be a normal Kage Bunshin, but Itachi can detonate the clone at any time to form a very large explosion.

OK, that should be it. By the the way 'Kametsuchi' meaning 'Earth turtle' is a made up name on my part. He's the turtle that Gai appears on back at the beginning of the Chuunin Exam arc when Gai appears to stop Lee from using the Omoto Renge on Sasuke. Apart from that, I think I've covered everything but if you notice something, drop me a note in a review or something!

And please, do leave a review! I really want to know how some of the more controversial things go over with everyone!

R&R!

MegaB

PS: I've opened a forum for this story; you can find the link in my profile. Everyone should thank knuckz for that; he kept bugging me till I got it done! ;D


	31. Chapter 31

OMGFHITSBALFD! DID YOU SEE THE LATEST MANGA CHAPTER?! IF YOU HAVEN'T GO READ IT RIGHT NOW! BEFORE YOU READ MY CHAPTER!

I didn't think the manga could get any better and yet Kishimoto proves once again that he is the one and only genius behind the most intriguing and badass story of the modern world. To hell with J K Rowling. This is where the stuff's at!

Review Highlights go to Tara La'Quinn (Thank you so much, your opinions were much appreciated!), Darak (No, I didn't. Itachi doesn't have the Mangekyou and so he's forced to rely on more natural skills than in canon.), Hitokiri Onib for spotting something nobody else did, anothvortex for that little comment at the end that made me laugh! (I am loving how much trouble people are having when they try to deal with him now. He grew up so nicely ^-^), The False One-Winged Angel for telling me what the meaning of 'awesomesause' was, luvindigo empress for her consistently outstanding reviews and Shima because the name reminded me of Uchuu no Stellvia.

Story Highlight goes to LT2000's "Nine-Tailed Serpent". It's dark and gritty, but he's taken a direction that not many people were able to pull off without blindsiding themselves in an utterly ridiculous plot. Go read it and enjoy!

And now, what we've all been waiting for...CHAPTER 31!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

**She shut the front door slowly, her mind faint and a strange buzzing ringing in her ears. He looked for all intents and purposes like the living dead; his face was unearthly pale, his eyes staring ahead as if not really seeing what he was looking at.**

**Try as she might, she just couldn't rid her mind of the frightening image of the blond. She wouldn't be sleeping that well tonight...**

ZZZZZZZZ

"Kametsuchi! Did you find them?"

Maito Gai landed to the side of a large elm tree, his summons standing off to the side. As he had approached the area he had seen a strange circular mark around the bark; it looked like someone had taken a thick razor wire and wrapped it around the stem and then pulled really hard. The brown bark had been ripped from the surface all the way around in a neat circle and he had no idea what could have caused it.

Kametsuchi remained silent for a while.

"Gai. Look."

The green-clad Jounin stood up and peered over the turtle's shell. A form lay hunched to the side in front of him, long hair cascading down a pale white face. The ANBU agent was unconscious, a large crack running down the surface of the daunting mask.

"She's injured."

He scrutinised her. Half of the mask was smashed off and strewn on the leafy floor next to her head. The white pieces shone eerily in the ensuing moonlight, blood was speckled over its surface.

"Knocked out?"

The turtle grunted.

The eccentric Taijutsu Master bent down and gently picked up the unconscious ANBU operative, holding her bridal style to his chest.

"And the other?"

Kametsuchi jerked his head sideways.

"Looks like she's up."

A figure landed silently next to Gai all grace absent from her movements. When she spoke, Anko's voice came low and filled with pain.

"Gai, what the hell happened here?"

She teetered sideways and he managed to stabilise her with his arm just before she fell.

"I should ask you that question Anko-san."

She grunted harshly.

"Got beat up by Uchiha-flippin'-Itachi..."

She heard him gasp and she couldn't blame him. Itachi was possibly the strongest ANBU Captain to ever grace the ranks of the elite. If he had stayed on for longer he most probably would have surpassed Kakashi even and that was no small praise.

"Shadow clones?"

Anko nodded stiffly.

"Where's Shisui and the brat?"

Gai winced and didn't answer. Anko's gaze seemed to sharpen and her face flushed slightly.

"Where the hell are they Gai?"

She didn't shout, she didn't scream. She said it quietly, so low that he might not have even heard it unless he was standing right beside her. It was a tone he'd never heard from the crazy Tokubetsu Jounin before; it was sharp and filled with warning. He shivered unconsciously at the danger that her question held.

"Shisui-san was injured in the battle. Naruto-san has taken him to Wave for medical attention."

She gasped.

"What?!"

Her body was suddenly wracked by a wheezing cough. Gai looked on sympathetically until it had passed. Anko uncoiled from her slouching posture and spat a glob of blood and phlegm to her right. She gripped her injured shoulder tightly, cursing at her weakness when her friends were in danger. He'd taken her out so easily and with a Kage Bunshin no less. If he had aimed to kill, she had no doubt that she would be dead right now.

"What did he want?"

Anko looked up, her purple eyes locking with Gai's serious visage.

"Tch, beats me...he knew about our mission beforehand, he didn't think that I was gonna be here."

Gai nodded solemnly. This was grave news; ANBU mission reports were the highest tier portfolios in the Village. For someone to have known the details and set up an ambush was unthinkable. It looked like there was a mole in Konoha.

"Yosh! Kametsuchi, you can leave now, we'll take care of everything from here."

The turtle snorted lightly, tipping his head in the affirmative before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Anko-san, let's get back to-"

She was already gone, jumping through the trees as fast as she could in her dishevelled state. The Taijutsu master smiled softly. They cared so much about each other that they were practically siblings. The look Naruto had had in his eyes when he had seen Shisui was identical to the one Anko had taken with him. He smile dropped slightly as he took off behind her.

How would they react if Shisui died?

XXXXXXX

The sliding doors to the main surgery room in the A&E department slid open with a distinct hiss. A doctor and nurse exited, the tall, sombre-faced doctor pulling gloves covered in blood from his hands.

"...on the IV, we don't know how long it will take but make sure-"

"Hey, Ji-san!"

The two males paused in their conversation and turned to face the five individuals waiting outside the operating room. The foremost was a young blond haired boy, his expression anxious as he stared with dread at their faces.

"You are family?"

The tall, green-clad man with a bowl-cut hairstyle shook his head in the negative.

"Just friends..."

Gai glanced sideways at the Jinchuuriki; his head was lowered and his fringe covered the top half of his face in shadows. He couldn't even begin to understand how the boy felt right now.

"Ahh..."

The doctor turned to his assistant and whispered something too low for the others to hear. The nurse nodded sadly and tuned to leave to another destination.

"My name is Doctor Nishimura Kensei and I have been treating your friend since he arrived here."

Naruto stepped forward, a snarl stretched across his face only to be stopped by the Sensei of Team 9. The green-clad man shook his head sympathetically before turning back to the man.

"How is he?"

Kensei reached up and pushed the bridge of his glasses to secure them to his nose once again. It was a habit he had fallen into to decrease the stress from his work. Every time he had to deal with a similar situation to what he was facing now, the bridge of his nose would become slick with sweat and his glasses would begin to slip. It was the only way to tell that the normally calm and collected surgeon was feeling pressured.

"When Uchiha-san was admitted late last night, we rushed him to the A&E unit to attempt a stabilisation. His spine had been almost severed between the 7th and 8th Vertebrae and the same weapon that had made the injury had exited out the front of his torso. It was only a miracle that his heart had been missed, although the edge of his right Pulmonary Organ had been punctured too. Am I correct in assuming that he is a Shinobi?"

Gai nodded sombrely. He could feel the tension rising around him, probably because the younger ninja in attendance had no idea what the professional was talking about. TenTen and Taka were both admitted alongside Shisui but their treatment had been minimal at best; the hospital knew how to deal with ninja and they were respecting the right to privacy especially since Taka was an ANBU agent. Anko had downright refused to be treated, stating that if she could walk then she was fine.

"Ah...I presumed as much. He had lost a lot of blood but we managed to avoid the worst of it and by mid-morning we had him stabilised."

Gai glanced sideways to check on the rest of the group. Only Anko and Neji seemed to have an inkling behind what the doctor was attempting to convey.

"Naruto-san, why don't you go and take a rest? You're worn out and you did enough yesterday."

Naruto turned his furious gaze on the Jounin. Madness seemed to suffuse from his body, saturating the air with a heavy feeling that made it harder to breath than normal. Gai frowned at this new development; red lines spider-webbed around the edges of his eyes, his whole body shaking in fury. His voice came out low and guttural, a fear inducing sound that shook the group to the core.

"Shut up. Tell me what the hell is going on."

Anko started and glanced from the corner of her eye at the blond. This was a dangerous situation; she didn't even know what kind of condition Shisui was in and it could be enough to destroy them. How Kakashi was going to react when he heard....

"TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM!"

Kensei winced. This would not go over easily. It was possibly the worst part of his job. He turned to the weird bowl-cut man with a questioning glance. Gai sighed but nodded. He deserved to know, there was no point in hiding the truth from him when he'd find out eventually.

"I'm afraid...Uchiha-san is paralysed from the chest down. Due to the almost complete disconnection of his Central Nervous System between the Vertebrae, his motor functions are restricted to his arms and neck upwards. He is currently in a coma."

A deathly silence descended on the group. Neji and Lee knew next to nothing about the friendly Uchiha but he was a Konoha Shinobi. They could feel the weight pressing down on them, an oppressive atmosphere that could only mean something bad.

"G-Gai-Sensei...W-We'll be down the hall if you n-need us!"

Lee turned and hauled his teammate with him, leaving the other three standing in disquiet.

"I'm sorry...if we had some Iryounin maybe it would have been different..."

Anko felt like she would shatter inside. Their team...their family...it was like anything she struggled to gain would be ripped from her. She had put up a front attempting to ward off any sort of companionship by creating a personality so brash and forward that nobody would want to befriend her anyway. And yet they had done so, completely disregarding her insecurities; the three of them. For now she had to be strong, if only for Naruto's sake.

"'Ruto..."

He shoved her hand away from him, his eyes still shadowed by his hair. He turned, a jerking movement so out of place that Anko almost felt her heart rip. There was no doubt that he would feel it the strongest. He was closer to Shisui than she and Kakashi were. They were practically brothers and the pair had been like night and day to each other, laughing and joking, a sun for the otherwise dreary environment in Konoha. His footsteps echoed ominously as he walked towards the exit. Anko could only gaze at his back as he left, a small breeze blowing down the corridor from an open window somewhere down the hallway.

She could hold it no longer and she wasn't ashamed when it happened. All the frustration from her defeat, from her failure to protect her friends and her skills that hadn't done any good came rushing to the surface. The rage and sadness she had bottled up since Orochimaru had betrayed her, the fleeting feelings of rejection, scorn and distrust she had been forced to endure for so very long burst forth from the casket they had been locked within.

She fell to her knees and wept, for that was her only escape.

XXXXXX

"_AHAHAHAHA!......done in by a stone! And by Uzumaki no less! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

He looked up at the sky, the once beautiful blue covered by the greyest of clouds he had ever seen.

"_No-one's going to hurt you kid...Frankly, it was worth it for the laugh!"_

That smiling face, the one where his black eyes shone with such warmth that anyone who would see it would have no choice but to grin as well. The face that creased with joy, his expression glowing with the secrets to happiness he could only hope to obtain.

"_Naruto-kun?! What has he got to do with all this? Why is he here?"_

The concern he had shown for his friends, his body language, his emotions, all were focused on the things he held dear, striving to protect and love for the rest of his life.

"_That was one hell of a throw by the way! It took me 2 minutes to pull the damn thing out of the wall!"_

The shock and awe that flitted over his face, fleeting feelings of happiness only to be replaced by the hollow void that seemed to follow him wherever he went. They had done so much together, fought alongside each other, laughed and ate like the best of friends.

'_My friend...my best friend...'_

It felt entirely foreign to him, something he had never considered before because he had been so caught up in just trying to hold on to the bond that he shared with the three Jounin. It was his bastion, his final fortress that he had built as soon as he had realised that the world was truly against him. It was like building a sandcastle and every time he almost managed to complete a strong foundation with his bucket and scoop, someone came and kicked it down. It was frustrating, like a hope he could only dream about achieving because there was something there, something blocking his path and stopping him from going any further in the direction he was moving. He'd take a step forward and then a battering ram would slam into him and push him all the way back to where he'd started.

He vaguely remembered his early days in Konoha, it wasn't something he could entirely forget even though he had been so young. The ostracism he had faced had led him down a path he thought gave him a chance to prove himself and make a place in the world...

He didn't even glance sideways as he felt Anko approaching the building whose roof he was currently situated on. He couldn't bring himself to look at her lest he see the look of disappointment and shame on her face.

"You gonna sit up there all day?"

He didn't answer. She jumped up to the roof, her sandals clacking as she landed heavily next to him.

"Ya' know...he'd never want us to do this if this ever happened to him."

Still no response. She was beginning to lose her patience. He was being stupidly selfish, trying to lump the blame on himself for some idiotic reason or another. She probably knew him the best and yet he wouldn't even look her in the eye.

"Look brat! You're not the only flippin' person in the world! You gotta accept it and do somethin' to help him!"

Naruto flinched heavily and her eyes widened at the movement.

'_Please God...Don't let him crack...please...'_

"You're right" he whispered, "I'm not the only person in the world...I'm-I'm nothing...so small, so useless..."

SMACK!

"STOP BLAMIN' YOURSELF! WHAT ABOUT ME AN' KAKASHI?! HOW DO YOU THINK WE FEEL ABOUT ALL THIS?!"

He stared up at her in shock, a red stinging palm-shaped mark colouring the right side of his face. Why...why had she hit him? What had made him deserve that?

He stood suddenly, the purple-haired Kunoichi cradling her hand to her body as if she was shocked by her own actions.

"I'm taking him to Konoha. The medic-nin should be able to fix him, right?"

She didn't respond.

He bit his lip as he turned, jumping swiftly back towards the hospital.

XXXXXXX

Uchiha Sasuke leaned against the post of the small bridge that had become Team 7's unofficial meeting place. He had been placidly waiting for close to an hour now and he knew that he might have to wait quite a while longer. He was content to simply watch the drifting surface of the water below him as he waited for his Sensei to show up. Sakura was already there, standing primly with her hands demurely tucked behind her back and sneaking a glance at him every few seconds. He would have snorted out loud if it wouldn't be rude; Shisui had warned him over the terrible threat of a fangirl.

His other teammate, the enigmatic Sai, stood calmly at the centre of the bridge, his posture rigid and his face devoid of any emotion. He could have been a statue for all intents and purposes because that was the thing he resembled so closely. His skin colour was so pale it could be mistaken for plaster any day of the week.

His mind turned to go over the events of the previous week. The seal that his blond enemy had placed on his person had faded and along with it, the effects of the transformation. He felt slightly proud of himself that he was able to endure such a situation for so long; surely most Shinobi would fall into hysteria if the same thing happened to them...

'_It's because you're so much like a girl already that it doesn't really affect you!"_

"**SHUT UP!"**

He clapped a hand to his mouth as his two teammates glanced at him in shock. He quickly shook his head and returned to staring at the river. If he ignored them, they would eventually leave him alone; at least, that's what he thought. That thrice-voice had become more and clearer since he had been turned into a girl. He thought it would leave after he changed back but that didn't seem to be the case. He'd just have to throttle the blond when he found him and demand that he fix his brain back to how it was.

'_Hehehehe...fix your brain?! How do you know you weren't already like this Sasuke-chan?'_

He punched his head and his cranium erupted in pain to block out the voice. Needless to say, his teammates were getting the entirely wrong idea from his actions.

'_Maybe he's a masochist..'_ Sakura pondered.

'_I'll have to tell Danzou-Sama that the Uchiha likes hitting himself.'_

Sai obviously didn't consider that to be strange. Sasuke was saved any further degradation when a small 'POP!' heralded the arrival of their perpetually lethargic teacher.

"Ohayou minna-san!"

"YOU'RE LATE! And errr...Sensei...Sasuke is umm...punching himself..."

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow and turned to find his prodigial student slamming his fist into his head repeatedly.

He sweat-dropped. Hard.

'_Between my team and Naruto...I'm going to die of dehydration one of these days...'_

"Err...Sasuke?"

"Damn, flip, shut, the, hell, up, you, freakin', moronic, imbecilic, voice..."

He accentuated each word with another punch and blood began to drip from his temple.

"SASUKE!"

He froze and turned wide eyes on his teacher.

"Ah, Sensei. Nice day today isn't it? I was just...just massaging my head because I have a headache you see..."

He finished lamely. Kakashi stared at him blankly.

"If you punch yourself any further you're going to end up in the hospital with a concussion."

The Uchiha jumped and hid his fist behind his back.

"Ah...right...I see."

The Jounin's sole visible eye turned up in his trademark smile.

"Great!" He chirped.

Turning, he jumped onto the railing of the bridge so he could see all three of his students at the same time. He studied them quietly for a few seconds. He had no doubt that they were ready, even Sakura had been forced to progress after the shame she had witnessed in their Genin exam.

"Right then. You three have the day off today to do whatever you want!"

The pink-haired banshee gasped.

"What?!"

Kakashi stared at them critically.

"What?" He said innocently.

"Why do we have the day off?"

Kakashi focused on Sai and the other two turned to regard their teammate thinking he had something to do with it.

"Why, you ask?"

There was silence.

"Hmm, I wonder..."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"S-so can you tell us then?"

'_OH MY GOD! NARUTO IS A TRUE GENIUS! No wonder he loves doing this to people!'_

Yes, Kakashi's daily resolution had turned to his absent friend's behaviour and he had decided that it would be interesting to see how people would react to taking on some of the blonde's personality quirks.

"I suppose I can..."

They stood waiting expectantly, slowly inching their way closer to his crouched form as their interest only grew.

"The question is....should I?"

He ducked a swipe aimed at his head by Sasuke.

"Maa maa, calm down!"

He pulled out three sheets of paper from within his utility pouch and offered them to his Genin.

"These are permission slips for entrance to the Chuunin exams. If you want to join, you have my permission to sign them and hand them in to the office by 3PM at Room 301 of the Academy in three days."

They stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend what he had said. As soon as he realised the significance of his Sensei's words, Sasuke snatched one form that had been proffered. Sai calmly reached out and snagged the end of another whilst Sakura hesitantly collected her own.

"Well, that's that. You're dismissed. Oh, except Sasuke, I have something to tell you."

Sakura sent a hesitant glance at the raven-haired Uchiha as she left the area, Sai choosing to disappear onto one of his airborne Chouju Giga.

"What did you want to speak to me about?"

Kakashi sighed wearily. Sasuke couldn't help thinking that the legendary Shinobi looked a lot older than he usually let on.

"Shisui got back from his mission today."

"He's in a coma."

ZZZZZZZZ

Short Chapter, I know, but I had to do it like this to get back into my normal flow. The last few chapters were emotionally draining and this one literally wrote itself. I'm not going to drag out Shisui's situation now that it's become clear of what happened. I need to focus on Naruto's development as well as the upcoming Chuunin exam arc so that takes priority at the moment. It will affect his motivation and we will see a more...dangerous streak appear in the blond but more on that later.

Jutsu notes:

**Ninpou: Chouju Giga:**

**Character Use:** Sai  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m-10m), Far (10m+)  
**Type:** Attack, Supplementary

Ninpou: Chouju Giga is a Ninjutsu technique used by the mysterious ninja Sai. Gifted with much artistic talent, Sai can remove his special scroll and ink drawings on its surface. Forming the needed handseal he can then give life to the art, allowing it to spring off the page and obey his will.

Alright, the ANBU arc is now officially over and we hit the last stretch. This will be a crazy ride and I'm still going over the minor details so that I can get it right. Expect to be shocked, because that's what I'm aiming for.

And do leave a review, they help me write faster!

MegaB


	32. Chapter 32

YOSH! Chapter 32!

Review Highlights go to OdamaKitsuneKit (Iryounin is Japanese for 'Medic-nin' :D), luckykas (Yeah, I intend to stick to canon in that regard, I'm glad you found it sudden and shocking though!), deathmachine2 for telling me that he initially thought my story would quote "crash and burn", Lizzie Lyn for a wonderfully uplifting description of how she found my story as she read it, luvindigo empress once again (Seriously! I might as well leave your name at the top of every chapter because you're just such an outstanding reviewer! You never fail to make me smile when I read them and let me tell you very few people are able to have that effect on me!), anothvortex for yet another AWESOME summary of the direction I'm taking (I'm stunned that you're actually thinking on this level, you're actually pinning down the characters' motivations to a tee), Dragonking20 and MechaUltimaZero who reviewed every chapter he read! Thank you all so very much!

Story Highlight goes to Daniel-gudman's 'Spying no Jutsu'. It's, to summarise in one word, amazing. Without a doubt one of the most original and well thought out stories on FF and I do hope a sequel comes out soon!

And with that we hit the newest chapter of K:NP!

ZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

"**Well, that's that. You're dismissed. Oh, except Sasuke, I have something to tell you."**

**Sakura sent a hesitant glance at the raven-haired Uchiha as she left the area, Sai choosing to disappear onto one of his airborne Chouju Giga.**

"**What did you want to speak to me about?"**

**Kakashi sighed wearily. Sasuke couldn't help thinking that the legendary Shinobi looked a lot older than he usually let on.**

"**Shisui got back from his mission today."**

"**He's in a coma."**

ZZZZZZZZ

He didn't visit the hospital right away, he couldn't really think of a 'proper' way to act in the situation that he was facing. Sure, he had experienced a worse tragedy than this, but in a grotesque sort of manner, he was far too young to realise what death and devastation really meant when he was so small.

Some would say that he was merely running away from his problems but he knew that was not the case. Others would say that he was just delaying the inevitable heartbreak that he would have to face sooner or later and that...was maybe half the truth.

The real reason why Uchiha Sasuke didn't attempt to see his cousin as soon as he was told of his arrival was because he didn't want to see the strength and joy that had once been Uchiha Shisui, reduced to a static shell of the legendary Shinobi he had been. He couldn't reconcile the image of his upbeat cousin in his head with the words his Sensei had told him that morning.

It was something to be said that all thought of the upcoming Chuunin Exam had been pushed aside in the young Shinobi's mind.

He walked dejectedly down the hallway towards the ICU of Konoha Central Hospital his hair limp and sweaty from the intense workout he had forced himself to endure that morning. How could such a strong ninja be taken down in the space of a few days and to such an extent?! He couldn't begin to imagine what Shisui's opponent had been like.

He turned the corner of the hallway leading to the wide double doors of the Intensive Care Unit, nurses and surgeons rushing in and out in their hurry to treat the patients within. It wasn't the A&E department by any standards, but it was fairly busy with the state of the Shinobi admitted. This was where the long-term debilitating injuries were treated and in Shinobi terms that usually meant 'career ending' although the staff never seemed to put it that way.

Sasuke remembered the events of that terrible day vaguely; it had all happened so quickly for him and before he knew it, his immediate family had been reduced to two. The once silent and stringent Uchiha Clan Complex had become a shadow of its former self; the alleyways and side-streets completely empty of the kind voices that used to reverberate around the place throughout the day. He couldn't even remember the faces of his aunt and uncle anymore, time having withered away his memory of the smiling elderly he would meet on the street every time he would leave for the academy all those years ago.

He walked as if in a dream, his legs moving mechanically as if he were heading in a direction out of obligation and regularity. His head was lowered, his raven fringe hanging over his onyx eyes as they peered unseeingly at the bleached white floor of the hospital. He pushed open the double doors of the ICU and was met with the typical hospital sight.

Beds were lined up on either side of the expansive room, opaque cream curtains drawn around the ones that were currently in use. The units that were empty sat gleaming in the afternoon sunlight, a stark opposite to the horrors that await the families of the patients. Sharp beeping of the equipment rang out every now and then as the machines gathered on the right side of every bed monitored the almost lifeless bodies around the clock.

Sasuke felt sick.

He walked slowly to bed eight, the one designated with a large white plaque and the name 'UCHIHA' in block capitals. He swallowed heavily as he moved to push the heavy curtains aside but then froze as he heard voices.

"...blames himself 'Kashi! He didn't have a chance to do anythin'! None of us did!"

Someone sighed behind the curtain and Sasuke recognised the tone. What was Kakashi-Sensei doing here? He decided to hold off entering over listening in on the conversation for a while, it's not like they hadn't noticed him anyway. There was a very pregnant pause before Kakashi's deep voice sounded quietly over the shrill beeps of the ECG.

"I doubt we can do much about it. This is Itachi we're talking about after all..."

Sasuke had to slap a hand over his mouth to stop the gasp rising from his throat.

'_Itachi?! What's he got to do with this?!'_

"That's not good enough! He's beatin' himself up over it and I don't know how to help him!"

"Maa...Naruto will come through, he always does. I guess we'll just have to believe in him again."

The elite Jounin's voice came out scratchy, almost as if there was a lump in his throat. Sasuke felt an unnatural amount of hate rise in his stomach when he heard the name of his blond-haired nemesis. So he was involved in his cousin's situation? He was going to beat the crap out of that boy as soon as he saw him.

"You okay 'Kashi?"

There was another stretched silence filled with a certain feeling of tension. Sasuke almost left right then; it didn't feel right intruding on the privacy of others. He heard the scrape of a plastic chair on the ground as someone stood up.

"I..."

"He reminds you of Obito, doesn't he?"

There was a small amount of rustling which the young Uchiha couldn't quite place.

"I was at the Cenotaph this morning and I realised something..."

Sasuke's whole body shook at his Sensei's next words before he turned and sprinted for the exit.

"I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that his name isn't on it..."

Within the curtain, Anko cocked an eyebrow. Her eyes widened for two reasons but only one was readily apparent.

When Kakashi looked up, she was startled to see tears running down the right side of his face and soaking into his mask.

XXXXXXX

"Taka Report."

Said ANBU agent saluted smartly before standing to attention. The light-voiced operative spoke quietly and quickly, producing the effect of a top-secret mission debriefing that no other Shinobi except the Hokage himself could attend.

"As submitted in my portfolio, ANBU Captain Shishi led us to the first mission objective on the outskirts of Nami no Kuni. We located the possible areas designated as possible Nuke-nin hideouts and we sent Mitarashi Anko and Uzumaki Naruto to scout them out."

Sarutobi's eyes widened marginally.

"So he accepted the mission then?!"

An acknowledging silence met his question. He sighed warily and leant back against the headrest of his chair.

"Continue."

"Shishi-Taicho determined that Uzumaki-san was the best option for reconnaissance and so he and Mitarashi-san were sent to investigate. His Airboard proved invaluable and we managed to confirm three of the possible locations as inapplicable due to his aerial view."

The Sandaime picked up his pen and scratched a few words on the scroll sitting on his desk directly in front of him. He pondered the situation deeply; things seemed to be falling from Hi no Kuni's favour particularly fast. Missing nin were appearing out of the woodwork and there were deeper things at work here.

"Taicho and I headed into the Village to see if we could gather any further Intel to locate the base. After meeting with the client, Shishi-Taicho realised that Team 9's patrol ran dangerously close to one of the targets on the outskirts of Nami no Kuni's border. We made haste to the designated area only to find that Team 9 had been attacked and Mitarashi-san and Uzumaki-san had intervened on their behalf."

Sarutobi sat up straight, his eyes calculating as he glanced up at the white surface of the operatives mask. This was what he had been waiting for...

"Before I continue, Sandaime-Sama, there is another matter which may interest you at this point."

Hiruzen nodded quickly.

"There was a...incident that occurred before we reached our preliminary objective. We had set up camp in a clump of trees not far from the Kaiza and Naruto Bridge when we were attacked by a group of ex-Iwa Jounin, possibly part of the same Nuke-nin coalition. Shishi-Taicho allowed Uzumaki-san to fight them alone."

Sarutobi breathed in sharply.

"What?!"

"There were three of them. He showed great potential and took out all three without having any harm come to himself from the entire engagement."

The Sandaime stood quickly, his eyes wide as he stared at the unmoving face of his subordinate. Was this possible? Was Taka lying to him for some reason? Maybe the operative was one of Danzou's ROOT after all...but that couldn't be possible as he had checked Taka's history himself. No, the ANBU agent in front of him could be trusted implicitly.

Could Naruto truly be that strong?! Who had taught him, or had he taught himself? The idea was so foreign to the elderly Hokage that he could barely keep his thoughts in order as questions erupted in his mind.

"You...are sure they were at Jounin level?"

Taka nodded smartly.

This changed things, drastically. If Naruto was as strong as he now thought then as a civilian he had nothing to prevent him from leaving or turning against them should the opportunity present itself. If the Villagers' unreasonable hate were to get through to him eventually, they could have a potentially disastrous situation on their hands. He needed to find a solution and quickly.

"When Shishi-Taicho and I made it to Team 9, the squad had been relieved by Team Budgie. The only one-"

"Team Budgie?"

Sarutobi positively felt a great grin spread over the ANBU agent's face.

"Oh yes, Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-san designated our cell names before we split up."

"...Right."

Sarutobi managed to respond weakly before flopping back into his chair.

"Apparently he likes Budgies."

"Get on with it Taka!"

She was definitely smiling behind that mask the damned woman!

"Maito Gai was the only Shinobi left fighting a group of the Nuke-nin. Shishi-Taicho moved to assist so I moved on to complete our primary objective along with Uzumaki-san."

Hiruzen gestured for her to continue as he mulled the information he had been given. So Naruto was at Jounin level at least and he worked very well with his friends, yet on an overall power basis that was too less to go on. A Shinobi's strength was never determined by the number of enemies he could take out but rather in which fields his preferences lay. So far he knew that the blond Jinchuuriki was at least proficient in two of the three major categories; his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu were evidently well-founded if Taka's report was anything to go by. He glanced down at the page of neatly scripted paragraphs sitting in front of him. Naruto seemed to possess a new Taijutsu style similar to Tsunade's super strength technique. Where the last of the Senju used rapidly consecutive firing of her Tenketsu to generate a push of Chakra so forceful that it was akin to a speeding bull, Naruto powered his limbs using Wind Chakra. There was an inherent flaw to the technique, one that made the Konoha Jinchuuriki possibly the only person who could effectively use that style. Without any protection from the extreme bursts of force that his limbs would be subjected to, he would very likely end up damaging his body, but the pain would only be a very short-term side effect due to his rapid healing ability. Maybe there was a way to minimise the chance of injury...

Sarutobi glanced up when he heard a slightly nervous tone appear in his subordinate's voice.

"Sandaime-Sama...he destroyed the base all on his own! He combined three Jutsu from two elements and blew the base up without any other source of explosives."

"W-What the-"

Sarutobi and Taka had disappeared and reappeared beneath the windowsill, two Kunai against the throat of the Gama-Sennin. He raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Whoa! Hey, it's me Sensei!"

Sarutobi sighed and pulled back, pocketing the Kunai beneath his robes.

"Damn it Jiraiya-kun! How many times have I told you not to do that?!"

Jiraiya grinned but didn't answer.

"So he combined three Jutsu in one?"

Taka hesitated until the Sandaime nodded his acceptance at the question. The report was, after all, meant for the Hokage's ears only.

"Hai. He destroyed the base alone and then we were attacked by Uchiha Itachi."

The venerable leader chewed the bottom of his upper lip as he heard his student gasp. He knew what Jiraiya would be thinking at this point but the information they had didn't seem to add up. If Akatsuki was indeed involved then why had Itachi come alone and what benefit would they have from killing Shisui in that situation?

How had they even known of the mission for that matter?

"Taka, that will be all, you're dismissed."

The ANBU operative nodded and turned towards the door. She stopped just as her hand touched the doorknob.

"Sandaime-Sama."

He glanced at her and his eyebrows rose as she moved a slender hand to push her mask up. She left it resting on the top of her head revealing pale white skin, black eyes and smooth, straight purple hair.

"I think they knew who I was...from the very beginning."

Sarutobi kneaded his forehead with the palm of his hand in agitation. What good was stealth if it didn't work at all?

"That's fine Uzuki-san. You can have the rest of the week off after today's recon mission."

Yuugao nodded uncertainly before disappearing through the door. Hiruzen could literally feel his student's laughter even though he couldn't hear it. When he looked up at his face, he met Jiraiya's grinning visage.

"Heh, I think he was too clever for you Sensei!"

Sarutobi slapped his forehead exasperatedly at his ex-student's comment.

"I presumed that something of this manner would happen. If Naruto-kun didn't realise then the rest of his team most probably would."

Jiraiya hopped from the windowsill, landing smartly next to one of the maroon chairs pushed to the side of the room. He plopped down unceremoniously and gazed up at his venerable leader innocently.

"Well?"

Jiraiya tilted his head to the side and Hiruzen was reminded why he thought the Gama-Sennin was the most annoying of his students.

"Don't look at me like that! What did you find?"

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together beneath his jaw. He frowned slightly as he began his latest report.

"Itachi was definitely the one to attack them; I confirmed it as soon as I got your message."

Sarutobi sighed at that. He shouldn't have held any hope to the contrary but it would have been so much worse if an unidentified variable suddenly jumped into the situation.

"Anything else?"

Jiraiya rested his jaw lightly on his entwined fingers, his mouth stretching slightly from the pressure.

"I followed the trail as far as I could go but it was long gone before I even got there. There was a funny rumour going around at the time and I caught word of Orochimaru's name a few times..."

The Sandaime stood up once again, this time his eyes were unfocused as he mulled over this latest development.

"Orochimaru, did you say..."

The Toad-Master didn't reply as he watched his old Sensei warily. He knew how Sarutobi felt about the farce that had occurred when the Snake-like man had abandoned his home Village. He also knew that the Sandaime still felt that he was guilty for his small lapse in judgement. Internally, the Toad Sage winced at the route his thoughts had taken; it was a small mistake, one that could have been easily remedied and yet, those niggling problems were always the ones to grow into something so much more dangerous.

"What do you think, Sensei?"

Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back as he turned to stare from his window. At that moment, staring lucidly at his old teacher's back, he felt an expansive distance between them, one that was bridged by age and an indomitable will to protect the Village that the elder Hokage seemed to possess with every fibre of his being. He didn't know what the Village would do without Sarutobi; if he were to die...

"My end is nigh, Jiraiya-kun."

His eyes widened in shock and he opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off.

"You know it, the Shinobi know it and the council knows it. I no longer see any point in beating about the bush in this matter. I must appoint a successor before it is too late."

"B-But Sensei!-"

"I intend to ask Naruto-kun."

Jiraiya couldn't hide his shock; his jaw literally hit the floor as one word screamed through his mind.

'_WHAT?!'_

Sarutobi turned towards him, his eyes shadowed by the bushy grey eyebrows. He gazed sternly at his subordinate, his son as far as relations went to him.

"He has all the necessary qualities. He has the drive, the determination and given a couple of years and I'm sure his strength would far surpass the ledge we have built ourselves."

"Sensei, no disrespect, but yours has been cracking for a while now."

Sarutobi studied Jiraiya's face intently.

"Were you referring to my power or my mind? I do hope you weren't referring to my mental disposition Jiraiya-kun."

The white-haired Sennin whistled a jaunty tune as he glanced around the familiar office like a baby in a candy store.

"I confess, I am no longer in my prime but that does not mean I am a push over!"

Jiraiya nodded lightly. He had successfully diffused the heavy atmosphere that had dogged his Sensei's proclamation; he was never one for serious discussion although he had his moments. It was possibly the main reason behind the Hokage not choosing him as the Godaime.

Jiraiya shook off his thoughts as he returned to the matter at hand. There was no way that the blond-haired brat was going to accept the position, in fact it would more than likely break him if it was even mentioned to his fragile mind. If he was guessing correctly, and he was sure that he wasn't mistaken, Naruto was facing the biggest challenge he had faced yet at this very moment.

"Sensei, he's not going to accept."

"No, I don't suppose he will..."

Jiraiya couldn't help it at this point; he stared unabashedly at the once strongest Shinobi in the entire world.

"Then why bother?"

A thin, wiry hand reached up to pull on the small, grey goatee perched on the Hokage's chin. Jiraiya knew that to be the only quirk the Sandaime possessed when he was agitated.

"I must. It's not only for me, but for Minato too. He has the ability and the strongest Will of Fire I have seen in the modern generation. I would be a fool to disregard someone of such potential."

He couldn't answer that, he had no rebuttal to change his Sensei's mind when it was justified in part by such a strong foundation. Ironically, Naruto didn't even know that his father was the Fourth and so even if it was brought up before him as a reason, he would be perplexed that such an unrelated point would be used as justification for his selection, but then again, in the grand scale of things that would have little meaning. The Hokage was chosen by the previous one, past and present and it would not be any different this time around.

"The only question is, how shall I approach him?"

Jiraiya had a reply on his tongue, but for some reason he couldn't voice it.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto stretched the kinks from his back as he sat on the wooden chair next to his dining table. It was a Spartan affair to say the least; a simple oak, four-legged, uniform table with a single matching chair behind it. The wood was old and beaten yet it served its purpose every day for the young blond. Having waited the obligatory three minutes for his Ramen to complete its hot-water cooking, he ripped the lid off and tore into the delicious noodles and broth. There was nothing quite like a hot cup of Ramen to start the day, although if you asked him, he wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ichiraku's as a breakfast priority.

His half-lidded gaze flittered to the single window set in his kitchen. The only other aperture in his candid apartment was in his bedroom and sometimes it annoyed him when the sun would rise whilst he was sleeping. It never failed to wake him up.

It was another bright day for Konoha, the sun almost at its zenith in the cool-blue backdrop of the sky. If he didn't have things on his mind he might have admired the way the golden glow bathed the Village in its magnanimous radiance, but today, he just couldn't seem to concentrate.

He started as he heard someone bang loudly on his front door. Pushing back his chair, he strolled casually to the heavy green door and pulled back the chain and lock with a rattle. Cracking the door open slightly, he peered out to the balcony.

"Hey Naruto!"

He was met with the beaming visage of his brown-haired, female friend. He would have perked up slightly by her presence but he felt too emotionally spent to muster the energy.

"Oh, TenTen...what are you doin' here?"

The bun-haired girl frowned slightly at the dull voice and dead eyes she had been greeted with. It wasn't like Naruto to act this...somnolent and she knew from experience.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?!"

Naruto shook his head slowly as he pulled the door open further. He stepped back in surprise as someone's head was suddenly thrust in front of his face, large black, bushy eyebrows twitching in excitement.

"Naruto-san! It is my eternal pleasure that I am able to meet you on a wonderful morning such as this! I was wondering if you would like a spar to start this glorious day!"

Lee was punched into the ground as the Konoha Jinchuuriki reacted on reflex.

"Oh, I brought Lee and Neji along too! You don't mind do you?"

Naruto shook his head uncertainly as he stared at the lump on his foyer.

"Errr...Lee-san...sorry, I guess-"

Lee leapt from the ground, his mouth stretched in a huge grin, his pearly whites gleaming through the gap in his lips.

"Ahh! I see that your youthfulness is not diminished on such a fine morning! I have recently been introduced to a jumpsuit that may aid the both of us in our quest for our youth Naruto-san! Gai-Sensei gave me two of them and I don't mind sharing!"

The odd Genin pulled a bright green leotard from somewhere none of them were able to discern. Naruto and TenTen slammed him back into the ground, gear and all.

"YOU CAN TAKE THAT...THAT BOGEY SUIT AND STICK IT IN A TRASH CAN LEE!"

The exuberant Taijutsu Specialist sat up from the human-shaped crater indented into the concrete with tears of sadness pouring down his cheeks.

"Oh, TenTen! You must use your youthfulness to its fullest! I assure you that Gai-Sensei only has our performance at heart! Why don't you try one of them your-"

His head collided once again with the floor courtesy of the weapons-mistress' fist. Naruto shook his head as a small grin curled the edges of his mouth. TenTen smiled softly as she caught the expression from the corner of her eye; at least he wasn't a lost cause.

The blond Jinchuuriki turned as he felt a glare boring a hole through his head.

"TenTen, who's that?"

TenTen gave a start as she turned to the Hyuuga who had been left out of the friendly banter so far. Neji stood off to the side, a baleful glare aimed at the preteen standing at the front of the apartment.

"That's Neji! You remember Neji right?"

"Who?"

Neji's eyebrow twitched at the question. TenTen was cracking up inside as she realised what her blond friend was trying to do. So be it, she would play along with him since the stoic white-eye deserved to be knocked down a few pegs. It seemed the stunt they had played at the Academy hadn't lasted that long after all.

"Hyuuga Neji! The guy whose hair you lit on fire that time we turned the Academy upside down remember?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side as if he was confused and TenTen glanced at her serious teammate subtly to find his face reddening in anger. She almost lost it right there but managed to keep her face straight.

"Hmmm...I'm not sure I remember...although it's not every day that you light a Hyuuga's hair on fire...hmmm...that's true and all...hmm-"

"JYUUKEN PO: HAKKE ROKUJUUYONSHOU!"

Lee and TenTen had to spring behind their teammate and grab his arms before he was able to hit their blond friend with his deadly Taijutsu attack. Naruto stuck a finger in his ear and rotated it idly as he stared blankly at the furious Hyuuga.

"Hey Shirogan Tenshi, don't worry, I didn't mean it like that."

TenTen broke out into a fit of laughter at the nickname he had bestowed on her teammate and Neji seemed to realise how close he had come to breaking the law for attacking a civilian no matter how justified he felt it would be.

"Uzumaki, keep talking like trash and your days are numbered."

Naruto looked him in the eye for a few seconds before turning to TenTen and ignoring the threat completely.

"So? What you doin' here TenTen?"

The brown-haired girl wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve as she straightened from her hunched position. The mirth shone in her eyes as she gazed fondly at her friend. He might not think of her as a friend, but he had always been one to her since the day they had met. She had been stupidly childish and immature when she had refused to accept that he had secrets and she was infinitely grateful that he had granted her a second chance; not many people would, not after being abandoned for so long and in the manner she had. She smiled softly at his tone, engraining every bit of his facial features into her memory; he was her best friend, of that she was now certain. She would never allow their friendship to be ruined again for the sake of such petty problems. Those days were behind her.

She strode forward in a bout of joy she hadn't experienced before. Enveloping him in a warm hug she spoke into his hair quietly.

"Never again..."

"Eh? W-What's wrong with you?! Wh-What ya' do-"

TenTen released him and gazed warmly into his eyes. Even now, he would still act exactly like he did before, hiding all the pain and sadness he bottled up inside himself. She would help as much as she can and the best way to do that was to support him through all of his problems.

"'Ruto, Naoto-san's gone out of town for a few weeks on a delivery run somewhere in Fire Country. He said I could stay at the shop but I didn't feel right about being alone. Is it okay if I crash here for a bit?"

He scrutinised her face. Her question shocked him slightly but after everything they had been through together, maybe this was to be expected. There was no hint of deception or enmity in her stance and she _had_ apologised after all. He knew he had forgiven her at the time, but that was in the heat of battle. Could that acceptance extend to the rest of his life though? He looked up again to find her smiling at him. Almost immediately, the image of a gleaming sun juxtaposed over her face, the luminescence glowing on the surface of a waterfall as he launched himself from the top.

'_That's right...I promised I'd forgive them if they were really sorry...'_

He grinned as he stared back up at her again, his happiness infectious as the same expression only grew larger on his friend's face. In that moment the wall that had separated them for so long crumbled into pieces.

It was time to start anew.

"Yeah, sure, chuck all my stuff out and you can use my room."

Her grin only brightened at his words and she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Alright!"

TenTen dropped her duffel bag by the door and grabbed Lee at the collar, hauling him out onto the concrete balcony of the apartment building.

"'Ruto, we're going to train, wanna come?"

Naruto thought about it for a while, he didn't really have anything to do that day and it would take his mind off Shisui for the time being so he might as well have some fun. He nodded to TenTen, eliciting an excited shout from her bowl-cut teammate.

"YOSH! Naruto-san, your flames of youth are blinding me!"

His teeth went 'PING!' and Naruto had to shield his eyes; such was the brightness of this alien phenomena. In a deadpan voice and a sweat-drop on his head he remarked incredulously.

"Well your teeth are _blinding me_..."

XXXXXXX

Rain.

That was all he could see no matter which direction he looked. The sky was a dreary grey when he left and it hadn't changed by the time he had arrived. Clouds covered the expanse as far as the eye could see, even in the horizon. Every now and then they would shift as they collided; great bolts of lightning blazing from the heavens with loud thunderclaps. It was a very depressing place to live, Itachi noted as he walked calmly down a rain-swept street in Amegakure no Sato, a damp and dreary environment every single day, every single minute. Gusts of wind ruffled the area at irregular interval leaving his mouth dry and salty, his coarse tongue itching at the side of his mouth as he struggled on. If someone were to look at him through the gloomy weather, they would only see a dark figure with shining red eyes.

He thought he could never cry again after he had left his home Village. He believed with all his heart that the only path left for him was the winding, spiralling, potholed road that extended in front of his ailing soul. He could only continue despite hating his every movement and his every breath. It was a living nightmare, one that he knew if he didn't strive through, he would never be able to protect anything that was precious to him.

He almost snorted at the irony of the situation. Protection? _Him?!_ What in the world could he protect?! All that seemed to follow him around was death and decay, hounding his every step as he sought to fulfil his mission. That was what a Shinobi did and he had been told that he was the best Shinobi in the world. He was being used like a pawn for a madman's scheming, a disposable cup to hold the tea whilst it's drunk. The weather of Ame suited him just fine; it reflected the state of his mind as accurately as could be done. Maybe it was his punishment to remain here in this godforsaken place, struggling to come to terms with his conflicting goals.

He strode forward, the entrance to the Akatsuki's lair appearing in the gloom as he looked up at the huge tower that housed the illegal organisation. Madara was standing outside, his black cloak fluttering in the wind as it was soaked through by the elements. He hated him with every fibre of his being; an evil, malevolent existence that sought the destruction of the world just because he had the knowledge to do so. He sought vengeance, the madness in his blood seeking to overthrow and destroy any semblance of peace that Konoha had worked so hard to gain.

He walked on, unheeding of the orange mask turned in his direction. His face was emotionless as he passed his superior, not even glancing at him as he continued to the safety from the downpour. He felt rather than saw the old Uchiha push himself from leaning on the side of the archway, his gaze fixed resolutely on the reason for his ire.

"You failed."

It was a statement of finality, a bygone conclusion that had been known before he had even set out to accomplish the mission. Itachi closed his eyes as he came to a rest, his back turned to the Uchiha Scion.

"I confess, I am...unsurprised at this development."

Itachi looked back over his shoulder, a single crimson eye staring at the true leader of the Akatsuki.

"Then why did you send me?"

Madara tilted his head as he reached up to remove his gaudy mask, his usual facade of joyous quirks absent from his demeanour.

"Maybe it was to test you. Did you forget what your role in this organisation is? Without the Mangekyou Sharingan you are useless to me."

Itachi stood still, an uncomfortable silence descending between the two. Outwardly, he was the cool and calm murderer that had killed his family in a single night, but inwardly he was raging at the evil man who stood so calmly, plotting the deaths of hundreds like it was an ephemeral exercise.

"The Sharingan holds many secrets, Uchiha-Sama. Maybe one day you will achieve your wish."

His head returned to staring ahead of him and continued forward to the shadowy hallways of the tower. Madara stood contemplating his junior's words. He turned to stare out at the rainstorm that seemed to blight Ame all times of the year, the product of Pein's Jutsu. A foolish man who wanted to be something he could never hope to touch.

"My wish..."

And then he laughed, the sound rolling and echoing around the voluminous entranceway. His form melted and he disappeared without a sound.

XXXXXXX

Naruto yawned as he plodded down a street on the outskirts of Konoha, one hand held up to shield his eyes from the bright midday sun. His fingers twitched on his other hand buried deep as it was in the pocket of his black three-quarters. He slouched and looked around dimly. The area was a scenic one, the cream pathway lined on either side by a neat row of evergreen trees, their branches swaying slightly in the gentle breeze that rustled through the leaves. There weren't many people out and about at this time of day but the ones that were seemed so happy and content to simply stroll around enjoying the picturesque scenery. The blond was uninterested in the stragglers around him though, he'd had a tiresome morning sparring with a Taijutsu freak from hell whilst trying not to die by aerial projectiles and blasts of Chakra when he wasn't looking. The only upside to all of that was that he knew if he had used the Kazeken, he probably would have destroyed Team 9 in an instant.

"Whose stupid idea was it to say no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu anyway..."

He muttered disparagingly to himself as he continued on his way, the brilliant orange light catching the corner of his eyes every time it managed to seep through a gap in his fingers. He was concentrating so much on trying to avoid the bright sun's rays that he completely disregarded everything in front of him and ended up colliding with someone who was approaching from the direction of the main gates. Stumbling slightly he managed to stay upright and turned his shocked gaze to his unwilling victim.

"Oi Mister! Watch where you're goin!"

He paused after his exclamation. The man was very short and slightly tubby around the gut area. His face was covered in a sheen of glistening sweat as the light played over his bald patch. Naruto found he had to cover his eyes from the shine.

"Argh! What the hell's up with your head?! You got a bulb up there or something?!"

The man sighed, his beady black eyes flitting around anxiously as if he were expecting an attack from any direction. Naruto would have raised an eyebrow if he could see through the merciless reflection of light blazing into his retina. How the hell was it getting to him alone?!

"Excuse me young man, it's not exactly something I have control over is it? I am bald after all."

"GAH!"

'_He admitted it so easily! Doesn't he have any shame?!'_

Naruto dropped back a pace or two his mouth stretched in an expression halfway between horror and disgust.

"That....that can't be normal..."

"What was that young man?"

"Err...nothing..."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and turned sideways so that the man couldn't see his face.

'_This is bad...very bad....if I stay with this guy I'll end up sayin' something about his head again...'_

"Young man?"

"W-What is it mister?"

Naruto continued to face away from him so that his expression didn't betray the inflection he injected into his voice.

"I'm looking for the ANBU Headquarters of Hi no Kuni. Is it possible for you to take me there?"

"Huh?"

In his surprise, he turned to face the man fully. He had regained his footing and now stood before the blond preteen only a few inches higher than he was. His expression turned deadpan as he saw the look on the younger male's face.

"You're laughing at me aren't you?"

Naruto scrubbed his face with both hands to rid himself of the curling lips that seemed to stay on automatically in the presence of the rotund baldy. For some reason his mouth musles just wouldn't relax!

"Ah, well as I was saying...do you know where the ANBU Headquarters are?"

"No I-"

'_Wait a second...ANBU Headquarters?'_

Naruto's mind immediately switched gear. The man seemed innocent enough but his eyes spoke otherwise. Weren't the ANBU HQ meant to be a secret place? That was a very suspicious thing to be looking for and his Jounin friends had specifically deflated every question he had ever asked them about the base. No outsider should even believe that there even _was_ a HQ...

Before his internal grin turned devious of course.

'_Ehehehehe...looks like I found some gold...'_

"HAI! I know where it is!"

The short man flinched slightly at the loud voice and he began checking the area quickly to make sure that nobody had heard.

"Shhhh! OK, well my name is Arakawa Miru. Can you lead me to it please?"

Naruto nodded quickly. He broke into a fast walk before pausing at the edge of the footpath with his head tilted to one side.

"RAMEN!"

The man paused as he mopped his bald patch with a purple and black spotted handkerchief.

"I beg your pardon?"

Naruto turned around to face him again.

"RAMEN! I WANT SOME RAMEN!"

"B-But we're going to the ANBU HQ remember? Can't you eat afterwards?"

Naruto shook his head sharply.

"YADDA! RAMEN NOW!"

Outwardly he portrayed tightly screwed eyes and a huge grin but in reality he was analysing the man's every move.

'_There!'_

He caught it, the brief expression of fury that flitted across the man's face as he stared at him in incredulity. Naruto didn't know who he was or where he had come from, but this Arakawa was looking more and more like a spy. He didn't know if he should help the guy or turn him in; either way it was the same for him right?

It wasn't like the safety of the Hidden Leaf was his concern.

The man was becoming frantic now, his arms wheeling about in the air as he tried to compromise with the screaming blond. Eventually he gave up and told the Jinchuuriki to lead the way. Naruto grinned devilishly.

The guy didn't know who he was when it came to Ramen, did he?

XXXXXXXX

"LOLLIPOP!"

Arakawa Miru looked up from his severely deflated wallet in incredulity. The boy had put almost ten bowls of Ramen...somewhere and still had space for something else?! It was unreal.

"But you just ate Ramen! Can't you take me to the HQ first?"

Naruto's grin turned owlish as he stared at the man.

"Why do you want to go there anyway?"

They held their gazes for a few seconds and a very real feeling of danger rose in Arakawa's body. The boy couldn't possibly know who he was, could he? No, that was impossible. This blond-haired preteen wasn't even a Shinobi so it was hardly likely that he knew anything about his business at all. Then again, he was equally unlikely to know where the ANBU HQ was unless the Leaf's Special Forces weren't discrete about it. So far he hadn't managed to spot a single one of the elite operatives and so it was unlikely, but possible. He sighed mentally.

'_So be it. As long as I accomplish the mission."_

He was beginning to feel fatigued with keeping the Henge up for so long, but as long as he had the coordinates, the mission would be over.

'_Just a little longer...'_

"Alright...let's get you a lollipop then."

He watched in bemused disgust as the energetic boy whooped and zoomed towards a sweets vendor at the side of the street. The sun was coming down now and with it the safety of night was approaching. If all went well, he could be out of the damned Village before the end of the day and no-one would be any the wiser.

But this Naruto...there was something very off about the child. Whenever he smiled, it didn't quite reach his eyes and there was always a slight hint of steel in those sapphire depths as if they were guarding something dangerous.

Metal was, after all, used for weaponry and defence these days.

The boy couldn't be any older than thirteen and yet his entire demeanour was guarded no matter where he was. He steps were soft, his stance perfectly balanced as if he had spent his whole life training as a high level Shinobi. Arakawa almost hit himself at that thought; it was impossible, he was just a civilian after all. If anything were to happen, he could kill him rather easily anyway...

Sighing in frustration, he paid the hefty bill for another load of the boy's incongruous need for food. This time he held three bumper bags of multi-flavoured lollipops, all the while smiling like a loon. Arakawa followed the brat dejectedly as he lamented the severe depletion of his resources; the mission had better pay heavily for all the trouble he had been through.

They stopped at a random training ground off to one side of the Village. It was getting dark now and the street lights were beginning to light up, at first flickering as electricity ran through them before spreading their beams as far as they could. The training ground had no such light; it was devoid of any life apart from the drooping grass that might as well have been straw for all the spy cared. He stared around perplexedly. Maybe the HQ was somewhere around here?

"Well? Where is the ANBU Headquarters, child?"

Naruto spun around, one hand scratching the side of his head, his brow furrowed in thought as he sucked on the sugary stick. Every time he swallowed the sweet saliva in his mouth, the bulbous treat would protrude from under his cheek, and the movement was really beginning to annoy the spy.

'_I should just kill him and find it myself...'_

"Umm...come to think of it..."

Arakawa perked up, the greasy black locks of his Henge's hair swaying slightly from the movement.

"I don't actually know where it is mister!"

Silence.

"Well it's not like it's some place everyone can go to is it? I mean, it's all like elite and all that...best of the best ya' know?"

Arakawa began to shake. This....this child had led him on a wild goose chase for most of the day, draining his money like water and all....

All for nothing.

He'd had enough. There was no-one around. The brat's life was forfeit.

He sprang forward in a burst of speed, his hand outstretched to grasp the neck of the unfortunate youth. He would end this pitiful life right here and make up for lost time before it was too late. He increased his speed to what would be mid-Jounin level; no civilian could even track him by sight.

He was stopped dead in his tracks as something closed around his wrist in a vice.

'_I-Impossible!'_

"Ya' know...I really have no reason to defend this dung-heap, but you made the wrong choice when you decided to attack me."

Arakawa trembled at the soulless voice that floated eerily from the preteen's mouth. He was just a child! A greenhorn! Even the Shinobi his age couldn't hold a candle to a ninja of his calibre! So how?

How was he holding him idle as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Have you...ever been afraid of death?"

His eyes snapped up to the blonde's mouth. It was a nightmare, the kind of scene one would expect in horror stories that kids would tell each other when they stayed around each others' houses. He felt it then.

Pure, unbridled fear.

"...afraid to die, oh no, what I mean is have you ever been afraid that everything you do just isn't good enough?"

He zeroed in on the boy's eyes once again and he regretted it. They were the eyes of the dead; wide and sleepy, ringed with shadows and solidified like liquid steel. At this ungodly hour, the moonlight that had begun to spread its tendrils over the land caused his sapphire orbs to lose much of their colour. They looked metallic with a hint of blue.

'_Like seeing lightning before it hits you...'_

He held him steady with one hand, so casually as if he was used to a full grown adult struggling against his grip. He looked up at the failing light of sun-down, his face oddly reflecting not a sliver of light creating a sort of halo around his face.

"As if you would try so hard to build a building, building and building with all your might, but then just as you're about to finish it, someone comes and knocks it down..."

He looked back down, still not a single emotion shining through the thick fog in his eyes.

"Then again...a spy like you wouldn't know anything about that, would he?"

He brought his free hand up and prodded his body with the tip of a finger. Arakawa's Henge shimmered and then fell as his true body reappeared to the world.

"Heh, you're one of Hebi-chan's ninja huh? That's just...too bad! Maybe you'll feel a bit of what he's gonna feel next time I see him."

He tried to back away, run as far as he could from the look of infernal rage that twisted the blond-haired boy's face. The kid reached up once again and flashed through a few one-handed seals before ending on a half-ram. He would have screamed if he could have, but there wasn't any time to even think about it at that point.

Immediately a torrent of _vile, hideous_ Chakra blasted out from around the 12 year old's body. It was so very focused, every single little drop of it aimed directly at him. For the brief second before his bowels loosened and he fell into blissful unconsciousness, he felt the absolute terror that a mouse would feel standing in front of the gaping maw of a lion.

Naruto watched disinterestedly as the spy dropped to the floor limply. He threw the hand held in his fist as if it were garbage causing Arakawa Miru's arm to bounce as it hit the floor. He didn't have to wait long as a full team of five ANBU appeared in front of him.

"Uzuki-san."

The Taka-decorated ANBU mask flinched as she heard her name proclaimed whilst on duty. To their benefit, none of her teammates so much as flinched even though one of their own had been compromised. If Yuugao needed any further proof that the Konoha Jinchuuriki had known it was her all along on the mission to Wave, it was right there.

"Uzumaki-san. What happened here?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched slightly as he turned to walk to the edge of the field. The grass rippled slightly in the wind but he didn't seem to feel the least bit cold.

"Looks like you guys have a spy to deal with, neh?"

He shrugged as he shot a bored look back at the hitai-ate resting on 'Arakawa Miru's' forehead. That was probably a fake name too. Yuugao nodded as two of her subordinates moved to pick the man up.

"We might have to ask you some questions later, you don't mind do you?"

He shrugged again and Yuugao paused slightly before disappearing in a swirl of leaves along with her squad. The training ground returned to its previous calm and Naruto stood staring off into the trees.

"Are you gonna hide there all day?"

In a flash, Uchiha Sasuke leapt from his hiding place, his hands speeding through seals. His face was twisted in fury and tears trailed their way down both of his cheeks as he let looks his Jutsu.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"

He gasped as through the orange glow generated by the six balls of flame rocketing towards his enemy, he saw a fist speeding for his chest. He gasped in pain as the punch slammed into his torso, an unearthly amount of force totally changing the vector of his jump. He was thrown right through the bush he had been hiding in, in an explosion of leaves and wood splinters. He landed heavily in a clearing on the other side of the tree-line coughing as he struggled to breathe.

'_What the...what the hell w-was that?"_

"What's going on here...Uchiha Sasuke?"

Startled, he threw himself into a hasty roll, narrowly avoiding the Kunai that thumped into the soft dirt he had previously occupied.

"DAMN! Kurenai-Sensei, that...Sasuke's gettin' attacked!"

Kiba raced to the Uchiha's side and knelt next to him in his worry.

"Hey, you ok man?"

Sasuke ignored him in favour of watching the direction from which he had been thrown. He thought he could take him, he thought he could get his revenge for what he had done to Shisui-nii, and yet...

And yet...he had been beaten as fast as he had attacked. Just how strong was Uzumaki Naruto?!

His eyes widened in fear as the bush blew up in a mushroom of leaves and air. The blond walked slowly through, the vortex spinning around his form and a soft, deadly glow of a ball of Chakra held in his hand. He made for a terrifying sight as his hair blew every which way from the breeze generated by the technique. He walked placidly, his arm held parallel to his body and unnervingly steely gaze fixed solely on the Uchiha Survivor's face.

Kurenai gasped. She had never seen the Jinchuuriki like this. Every story she had heard from her friends had told tales of a laughing blond tipping jugs of water over unsuspecting Shinobis' heads or humiliating Kages around the world. Here he was attacking one of the Konoha Genin as if it was the only thing that mattered to him.

How had this happened?

"Kiba, Shino, Ami, stay out of this. You are no match for him."

Kiba blanched at his Sensei's words. The boy was hardly any older than they were and yet she was fearing for herself even?!

"Naruto-kun! Stop this foolishness! Why are you attacking Konoha Shinobi?"

He didn't stop, he didn't even look as if he had even heard her speak. He just continued walking forward with his gaze unmoving from the visage of his attacker.

"Naruto! I will stop you; this is your last warning!"

Still no response. She bit her lip roughly; she'd probably regret what she was going to do later, but now was not the time to think about it.

"Magen: Jubaku Satsu."

Her form warped and twisted as the Genjutsu took effect. Naruto swung around when he felt the malicious Chakra invading his senses as he tracked the invisible movement of the Jounin Kunoichi. Did she really think that he, the inventor of the Invisibility Jutsu, would fall prey to something as inferior as this?

He swung his arm clockwise around his body, aiming to smash it into her face as she sneaked up behind him. Before he could connect, three things happened in rapid succession.

"FREEZE!"

Kurenai reappeared as two Shinobi blurred into view, the female holding the Genjutsu Specialist's raised fist clenching a Kunai and the male bodily grabbing the younger opponent in a choke hold.

"WHAT THE FLIP IS GOIN' ON OVER HERE?!"

Naruto gazed lazily up into the single grey eye boring into him, blazing with anger.

"Naruto, drop the Rasengan."

He complied and a tense silence fell over the clearing. Anko looked back and forth, studying the occupants' faces, looking for any hint as to what had happened. Her head whipped around as she heard the crunch of leaves of someone walking towards their position. Kurenai gasped as she caught sight of the woman, shaking herself free from the purple- haired Kunoichi's grasp.

The woman strode quickly into the clearing her resolve firm and her black eyes glinting slightly in the dying light. She didn't even spare a single glance at any of the others as she passed them, ponytailed, raven hair streaming in her wake. As she reached the fallen form of Uchiha Sasuke her hand flashed forward, slapping him across the face with the sound of a whip-crack.

"How dare you..."

She was furious, her eyes glaring down at her son, ever the regal Matriarch that she really was. Her son stared up at her in shock, his right hand grasping at the stinging red mark on his face. He had never seen his mother like this, he knew she had been a Shinobi before she had married, but it seemed he had become accustomed to her smiles and bouncy attitude that he wouldn't hesitate to associate with her whenever he thought of her.

"You think he was responsible, you think you had a right to revenge?! YOU NEED TO GROW UP!"

His head whipped to the side as she belted his cheek again. Tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes as he suddenly lost all momentum. That his mother, his kind, loving mother had just shouted at him barely registered in his mind. He was shocked beyond coherent thought.

She turned her back on him, walking back towards where Kakashi held Naruto in his grip. Her hand flashed out again but she paused just before she connected. She seemed to contemplate the action, gazing into the unresponsive eyes that the once friendly boy possessed. So different from the four year old she had known.

SMACK!

She wept. Uchiha Mikoto wept as she knelt down and hugged the shocked Jinchuuriki. His head was turned to the side from the slap; his eyes wide as soft arms encircled his body and dragged him from Kakashi's grasp.

"Youkou-chan..."

Naruto flinched at the nickname. He turned slowly, his soul trembling as he looked upon the woman that for all intents and purposes should have been a stranger to him.

"Youkou-chan!"

She pulled him close, drenching the front of his T-Shirt with her tears.

"_How dare you hurt Youkou-chan?!"_

His arms fell limp as he was hit by a memory, one dug from the very depths of his brain. It was something he should have remembered, something that was supposed to have been important to him, and yet like all things that occur in the passage of time, his memory of that day so long ago had dulled and fallen to the dregs of his mind.

"_If you even so much as turn him out of your doors once again, I'm going right to Sandaime-Sama and informing him, do you hear me?!"_

"_Hey, don't cry Youkou-chan! It's a big world out there and I like you, see?"_

'_...Youkou-chan...'_

"Y-You..."

He raised his hands slowly, placing them around the woman's neck and tightened his hold on her. She whispered into his ear slowly.

"Did you think I would hate you? Did you think I was avoiding you for eight years? Youkou-chan, why are you so silly?"

Anko and Kakashi stared at the scene with slight confusion. Did Naruto even know the head of the Uchiha? What was going on here?

"Did you think I would blame you for what happened to Shisui? It's alright to cry..."

"_...it's alright to cry..."_

And just like he had done in the past, the floodgates burst open with a soul-wrenching cry, the pain, anger and frustration bottled up for years on end, burst through the surface. He could no longer hold his facade, his shield to the world; the events in recent times were too much for his shoulders to take alone. She knew.

Mikoto knew that he was the kind of person to do that, just like his dad.

ZZZZZZZ

And CUT!

Alright, I know a lot of you are going to have some questions about that last scene, but all I can say is that I will explain it next chapter. The ending was once again on a sombre note, but next chapter should be much more light-hearted. After all the recent drama, it would be awkward to suddenly throw in a big heap of jokes and so I tried to limit it here so that the change is easy to bear.

Jutsu Notes:

**Magen: Jubaku Satsu - Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death **

Character Use: Yuuhi Kurenai  
Rank: B  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)  
Type: Supplementary

Magen: Jubaku Satsu is a Genjutsu technique utilized by the Leaf Jounin Yuuhi Kurenai. After forming the needed hand seals, Kurenai will disappear and approach her target. Once near her target, a tree will grow at their feet and its branches will bind them so they can no longer move. Once the illusion makes them believe they are captured, Kurenai will appear from the tree itself and stab her target with a kunai.

**Housenka no Jutsu - Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique**

**Viz Translation:** Fire Style ~ Fireball Technique & also as Blaze of Glory  
**Character Use:** Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi  
**Rank:** C  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack

Katon: Housenka no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does the necessary hand seals and then emits a series of small fire balls. The ninja can also hurl a projectile which is covered in these same flames. To the opponent the attack appears to be only the balls of flame, they do not see the hidden threat within the flames. Meaning that even if the flames are put out, the projectiles still converge on the target. The flames can be used to cover different projectiles like shuriken or kunai.

**Hakke Rokujuuyonshou - Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand**

**Character Use:** Hyuuga Clan  
**Rank:** -  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Attack  
**Note:** Special Bloodline Technique

Hakke Rokujuuyonshou is a Taijutsu technique unique to the Hyuuga bloodline. Hakke Rokujuuyonshou is a special technique passed down through the main family line. When an opponent is within the clan members divination field of attack, they can quickly begin their assault. The technique allows the clan member to use the Byakugan eye to see the inner chakra coils system. Using the Jyuuken style, they can force their chakra through their hands into the tenketsu of the opponent's body through 126 strikes. First the clan member will strike 2 times, then 4, 8, 16, 32 and finally 64. This damage forceably closes 64 tenketsu, stopping the chakra flow of the opponent. This then limits their opponent's ability to use jutsu.

Youkou – Sunshine

Alright, I apologise for the wait for this one. I was really busy with all my interviews and stuff so I decided to compromise with a really big chapter instead. I hope this satisfied everybody! And as always, do leave a review; I'm dying to know how you found these new developments!

MegaB


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter the thirty-third in which a certain blond bumble head refuses to face his fears, Mikoto remembers her fall and a mini-war erupts in Konoha.

Review Highlights go to knuckz for nailing me in the head (I don't expect you to understand this comment...), Ageant for saying I made his/her day (NO! SAVE ME FROM THE ANGRY BEAVERS!), anothvortex (it's meant to be crazy but Sarutobi needs a way to buffer Naruto's growth from potentially harming the Village. You mentioned something about issues with Uzuki, kindly point out what that was meant to mean as you lost me!), The False One-Winged Angel (You sent a plethora of questions so I sent an essay back :P) and jolteonforever who was blown away.

I also want to thank Philosophical CAT for the most entertaining back-and-forth conversation I've had barring Lainana of course. You two are awesome. Full-stop.

Story Highlight goes to Legendary Legacy's 'Hiraishin World Tour'. If you're dying for something original that will crack you up...*points finger*.

And now, what you've all been waiting for....

ZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

"**Did you think I would hate you? Did you think I was avoiding you for eight years? Youkou-chan, why are you so silly?"**

**Anko and Kakashi stared at the scene with slight confusion. Did Naruto even know the head of the Uchiha? What was going on here?**

"**Did you think I would blame you for what happened to Shisui? It's alright to cry..."**

"_**...it's alright to cry..."**_

**And just like he had done in the past, the floodgates burst open with a soul-wrenching cry, the pain, anger and frustration bottled up for years on end, burst through the surface. He could no longer hold his facade, his shield to the world; the events in recent times were too much for his shoulders to take alone. She knew.**

**Mikoto knew that he was the kind of person to do that, just like his dad.**

ZZZZZZZZ

_She squeezed his shoulders gently as she gazed down softly upon his unruly golden hair. He looked so small and weak, a shadow of the strong individual he had become these past six years. It was unfortunate that she had no presence in his life since the time they had spent together but she deserved every punishment that came her way, if only to atone for the sins of her blood._

_He slowly reached up and pushed her arms away, feverishly extracting himself from her grip as if it were burning him by the slightest of touches. At first she grew alarmed; had she held him too tight that he had been hurt? She searched for his gaze, desperately seeking to confirm his security but he moved his head to the side. He turned slowly, his breath hitching in his throat, loud in the uneasy silence filling the clearing. Slowly, he walked away, his gait unmeasured causing him to stumble every few steps. She reached her hand out to touch him, to call him back from the darkness that seemed to envelop him. It was like their last meeting all over again, just with different circumstances._

"_**In truth, you should be dead."**_

_Her hand froze in mid-air. She couldn't grasp him, she couldn't welcome him into the warmth of her home that she knew he needed. What kind of a friend was she?_

"_**You are a murderer from a clan of murderers. We knew of your movements since the time of the Nidaime..."**_

_She had no right to touch him; she was unworthy of his attention or his presence. Minato would be so very displeased with her were he alive._

_She told herself to be strong, to show her strength of will to the rest of the world just as he did. He who had the heaviest of burdens placed upon his young shoulders and it was all...all..._

"_**...all your fault..."**_

Uchiha Mikoto sighed as she leaned against the wall, her obsidian hair falling in front of her face. Her pink and blue apron rustled as she raised her left hand to brush the odd carrot slices from the edge of her chopping-board and into the saucepan that was boiling gently on the stove. Yesterday had been a nightmare, a reminder of the things she should never have done, the things she _should_ have done and the things she would never be able to do.

She was pitiful, a disgrace to the Uchiha name compared to her eldest son. Bereft of her dreams and the symbols of her loyalty, she remained as a simple memory of things that she really ought to have forgotten.

But she couldn't forget, not now, not ever. She had been successful as a Jounin, one of the deadliest Ninjutsu users to bless the ranks of Konoha before the rise of Hatake Kakashi. If she hadn't been so _stupid_ maybe she would still hold the prestige and honour that used to be associated with the mere mention of her name.

Maybe she could have adopted him.

She had opened her eyes to the white ceiling of Konoha Central Hospital. When she had mustered the strength to push herself upright, her blood had frozen from the simple presence of the man looking at her with eyes a mixture of contempt and disappointment.

"_Uchiha Mikoto...ex-Jounin of Konoha, it pains me that I order the removal of your hitai-ate."_

_She complied, her arms stiff as she fumbled with the ends hanging from the back of her neck. In her anxiety, the cloth fell through her sweaty palms and landed with a small 'thunk!' on the tiled white floor of her room. Sarutobi didn't wait for her to pick it up._

"_I shall be quick. In truth you should be dead."_

_She looked up distantly as if expecting a death sentence to escape his lips at any moment. She had no excuse, nothing to fall back on and she knew that in her state there was absolutely no chance of her overpowering the Hokage in this situation. A stab of guilt rocked her body just by thinking about it._

"_I confess that I am confused...confused and distressed that you who showed such promise, would cooperate with a coup d'état. You are a murderer from a clan of murderers. We knew of your treasonous movements since the time of the Nidaime."_

_Idly, she thought, she shouldn't be surprised by the hollow voice that the usually kind leader addressed her with. The Uchiha's plot had failed, her family had been destroyed and she would be left to face the backlash of their foolishness. It hurt._

_It hurt that the one to foil their plan was her own son. Itachi loved the Village more than she did._

_Tears began to well up in her eyes, the shock of finding herself alive too great for her mind to withstand. She briefly entertained the idea of Survivor's Guilt and yet it was so obscenely disgusting to her mind that she immediately buried it under her thoughts. She wanted to die, __**welcomed**__ it, and yet she would be forced to live a decrepit existence without her children or husband. Sarutobi wouldn't execute her otherwise he wouldn't have wasted his time talking. From her experience he was pragmatic to a fault._

"_YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE FULL CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"_

_She shrank back from his barking shout; the wide-brimmed hat perched on his head fell to the ground in his anger. What could she say?_

_The Sandaime turned his back on her, dismissing her as if she had riled him by her presence. She probably had; she was a traitor after all._

"_Itachi was ordered to exterminate the whole of the Uchiha clan. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"_

_She gasped. He had let her live! But that means-_

"_I will allow his wish to remain. You and Sasuke are alive. You will have all rights as an ex-Shinobi revoked and you will remain in the Uchiha Complex."_

_SASUKE! He was alive!_

_She sobbed, tears falling fast and hard at the crushing guilt that swept through her veins. She had no right...no right to be alive. She could only thank God that her youngest son wasn't harmed._

"_It seems he knew the situation better than I..."_

_Her bloodshot, streaming eyes attempted to focus on his hunched form as he seemed to sag whilst gazing from the window._

"_...So unfortunate that Naruto-kun was caught in your stupidity. Make no mistake..."_

"_This was your entire fault."_

_He swept his cloak around him, fluidly bending and snagging the edge of the head gear that denoted his station and headed towards the door. His statement clicked in her mind just as he pulled the door to her room open. A choked sob tore from her throat as he looked contemptuously over his right shoulder at the wide-eyes boring into his head._

"_Uzumaki Naruto was caught in the crossfire, the bloodshed that was caused by the lunatics of your family in which even you played a part. He has been left bedridden, the state of his mind unknown. Consider your actions now that you know what happened."_

_The door snapped shut with an echoing finality._

She glanced down at her index finger that had been nicked by the knife in her hand. It was a thin cut, nothing that could harm her at all. She watched in grotesque fascination as the red liquid of life bubbled up from the wound. All that remained for her were the nostalgic moments that flashed irregularly through her mind. Brief moments of déjà vu when she encountered something that reminded her of days long gone. She had been mistaken; a fool to follow the fools of her clan. A pitiful wife that followed her husband almost to his grave because of his inferiority complex and the weakness of his mind. Maybe she would have reacted differently over time if Hiruzen hadn't thought it necessary to inform her of that fact. Maybe she would have sought revenge on the Village that took her family from her...

She knew she would never do that, not when Naruto had been a victim of something that had absolutely nothing to do with him. She felt bile rise in her throat, wooziness descending over her like a cloud of fog.

Her memories....how she _hated _them.

"_You BRAT! How dare you steal Henaro's toys?! No dinner for you tonight!"_

"_But she's lyin'! I swear I never took any of her 'tupid toys!"_

_A depressed child sitting on a weathered balcony two floors up from the ground. He was too young to be looking up at the sky with that expression._

She remembered the white-hot anger that had risen in her chest at the sight of a child being treated in such a way. Her own four year old would have been crying and clutching at the hem of her skirt if anything like this had happened to him and yet he was sitting there with a blank face as if it didn't hurt him at all.

She knew better though; he was definitely crying...crying inside.

"_Youkou-chan?"_

He had looked up, his eyes glittering and shifting slightly like the depths of the ocean. Her heart trembled in her chest. He was a beautiful child, the rightful heir of one so strong and his eyes were a testament to his existence. How could anyone refuse him? She remembered thinking of the deep pond to the side of the Uchiha estate; the way the surface shifted slightly in the breeze, small shafts of light driving through the light blue liquid like arrows. His eyes...

Were dead.

She had almost recoiled, only just managing to stop herself when she subconsciously realised what the child may think had it happened. It was as if he saw the world through bars, like he was the prisoner instead of the jailor. If she would curse Minato and Kushina for something, it would be this.

"_Youkou-chan, don't cry..."_

_He wasn't crying._

"_I-I'm not cryi-"_

"_Shhhh."_

She had jumped to the railing, crouching down in front of his small form to hug him to her body. Her hand automatically went to his head to stroke the soft locks of his blond hair just like she always did to Itachi and Sasuke.

"_Hey, don't cry Youkou-chan! It's a big world out there and I like you, see?"_

He'd clung to her like she was his bastion, his final lifeline in a world he was drowning in. He began to shiver slightly and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the night. Mikoto had closed her eyes slowly, pulling him closer as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"_I know I said don't cry...but go on...it's alright to cry."_

They had remained like that for about an hour, a mother holding a child in a comforting embrace. Her anger had festered, smouldering deep within her soul as she witnessed the four year old child weep unrelentingly. A child should never cry for more than a few minutes.

Never.

The next day she had lost it, storming into the orphanage and threatening them as the Matriarch of the Uchiha clan. She had never regretted hanging up her Jounin vest until then; how she had wished she could stick a Kunai between the beady eyes of the Orphanage manager.

She was no stranger to fear, she had feared so many things in her life. When she had received the missive from the ANBU that her nephew had returned in a coma she had almost lost it again. Sending Sasuke ahead of her, she proceeded to rush to the Hokage tower to understand the situation. When she had arrived, sweating and panting from the sudden exercise, Sarutobi had looked at her with the same eyes as that day. She almost broke down again from what that glance must have meant.

By the time she arrived at the hospital there wasn't a single person in Shisui's enclosure. The sight of her proud nephew reduced to a pallid, unmoving shell froze her heart. Where had Sasuke gone? Did he know that Naruto had been his teammate on the mission? Given the two children's prior interaction, he would no doubt try to blame the Uzumaki heir in some way. Her breath had caught in her throat as she put two-and-two together. Naruto would blame himself and Sasuke would only make it worse.

For a moment she couldn't move, her legs and arms refused to respond to her will. When she had burst into motion, the doubts in her mind had disappeared.

She didn't know how much Shisui actually knew of the events of that day, the monumental farce that had caused an entire clan bar four to disappear in the space of a single night. It was almost incomprehensible and yet she thought she caught a few hints, sometimes at the dinner table or other times when passing him in the corridor. Sometimes he would look at her with a peculiar expression in his eyes; a guarded, calculating stare almost as if he were searching her heart for the darkest secrets of the Uchiha clan. The first thing she had done to protect the family she had left, was to destroy the Nankino Shrine, the place where the rebellion had begun.

He was a clever boy, far more intelligent than his family had given him credit for. He had matched Itachi blow-for-blow throughout their entire life, emerging as a legend alongside his best friend; the two most feared Uchiha to appear in Konoha in their generation. It was possible that he had figured much of the detail out by himself and when the time came, she didn't know how she would face him.

Deep down, she felt a flash of relief at his comatose state and she felt guilty for it. Her eyes remained out of focus as she stirred the pot of food unconsciously.

But that was all gone now. As she said...

All in the past.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto awoke grumpily, cursing at the sun for shining through his decidedly thin curtains as it rose gracefully into the sky. His mind was foggy and he couldn't bring himself to remember the events of the previous day. It was almost as if he didn't want to remember them, but that couldn't be right, could it?

Groaning loudly, he swung his feet off the side of his bed and balanced lethargically on the cold laminate. Stretching languidly, he cracked his neck to both sides and set off for the bathroom. His morning routine went by so fast that before he knew it he was at his dining table with a carton of milk and a hot-buttered toast. The sparse breakfast disappeared just as quickly as it came and the thought of the bread tasting oddly of sand drifted through his mind. After washing up and getting dressed, he decided to spend the day training as he had nothing better to do with his time. He couldn't bring himself to face Shisui in his state and the sight of his other two Jounin friends brought an acidic taste to his mouth. He would just have to avoid them today.

As he stepped out into the mid-morning sun, the heat already raising enough to make him feel clammy, he locked his apartment door behind him and turned to the stairs facing the Hokage Monument.

He froze.

Floating high in the sky, a message scrawled in a yellowy substance hung over the heads built into the rock. His mind crashed and rebooted about three times before the contents managed to get through to him.

_**UZUMAKI NARUTO**_

_**TODAY I WILL DEFEAT YOU**_

_**SABAKU NO GAARA**_

'_What the...'_

**BOOM!**

The balcony crumbled from under him in a shower of sand and dirt. Reflexively, Naruto swung his Ryu-Zashi from his back and slammed them into the cement wall next to his door so that he wouldn't fall. His head snapped up to the landing at the top of the building where he had felt a small flicker of Chakra announcing the presence of whoever had decided to declare war with the prank-master of Konoha.

"GAARA!"

The red-headed sand-nin stood with his arms folded and his emerald eyes closed. The light from the sun presented an almost noble image but Naruto knew better.

His sand was vibrating.

"...So that's how it is, huh? This is how ya' greet me after all these years?"

Gaara cracked a single eye open slightly, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly as if he was trying to smile. It was an improvement; the last time they had met Naruto could never tell when his friend was happy unless his sand was laughing. What was up with all of his friends? They were all crazy!

Who the hell laughs by making the sand he controls vibrate?!

"Uzumaki Naruto...how have you been."

"Gaara, when you ask a friggin' question, you make it _sound like one."_

Gaara tilted his head to the side in slight confusion. His jaw worked slightly as if he was testing the words in his mouth before he asked them. Naruto sighed in his mind. He was socially inept too.

"Uzumaki Naruto. How...have you _been?!_"

Naruto sweat-dropped.

"Err...You made it sound like you were shocked at something else..."

The Shukaku Jinchuuriki hummed lowly before striking his pose once again.

"Uzumaki Naruto! How have you BEEN?"

Cue face-palm. That was a feat, especially whilst hanging from the side of a building with no support underneath him.

"Look, forget it! I'm great, now can you put the ground back so I don't fall any minute now?"

It wasn't really a question but Naruto asked merely to uphold the etiquette of the conversation. Anko would have snorted and asked if he ever had any etiquette anyway.

"No."

"What?!"

Gaara looked down at his blond friend and it was at that moment that Naruto realised just how far the red-head had come. His eyes used to be dull and lifeless. He used to stare out at the world as if he wasn't actually seeing anything around him. He would mutter to himself at irregular moments and would take hostility to things that appeared normal to anyone else. One of Naruto's worst memories of his adventure beyond the gates of Konoha had been the day Gaara had killed so easily thinking it was a prank. Naruto had by no means been a stranger to death at that point, but he shivered at the thought of someone his age being able to do that sort of thing without any qualms.

Gaara's eyes positively _shone_ with mirth as he looked down from his vantage point. The light from the sun cast the rest of him in shadows and so the effect was only amplified as the only light source in that area. Naruto broke into a grin slowly.

"Heh...you know what you're gettin' yourself into, right?"

The sand-nin's eyes twinkled.

The Konoha Jinchuuriki sighed good-naturedly. Pushing Wind Chakra to his arms, he flipped and landed sideways on the wall before springing up into the air. He bent his knees as he landed softly, sheathing his Wakizashi in a smooth movement.

"You're on! Remember this is war. There's only one rule: don't get other people caught up, see?"

Gaara nodded slightly.

"How was your breakfast of sand?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he gagged, coughing and spluttering to rid his mouth of the dusty taste in his mouth. Gaara made an odd coughing noise, almost as if he had squirted juice up his nose as someone told a joke. He jumped away as fast as he can, reshaping the block's balcony at the same time.

The War was on!

XXXXXXX

"So, Naruto-kun attacked you?"

The two Genin teams and their Sensei stood rigidly in front of the desk of their venerable leader, some looking visibly startled at the familiarity the Sandaime had mentioned the blond brat's name. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of his superior as the others turned to discern his answer before he actually spoke.

"No I-"

"Hokage-Sama! 'Ruto would never do somethin' like that! You know as well as me an' 'Kashi what that would mean to him!"

Sarutobi regarded the Tokubetsu Jounin sternly. It was true that what Yuuhi Kurenai had related with regard to yesterday's activity had a veritable number of holes in it and yet he couldn't remove the nagging feeling that there was much more at stake here.

"Indeed, I feel that Naruto-kun would never attack an innocent no matter how much he despised them. Yuuhi-san, if I may, what exactly happened before Sasuke appeared in the clearing where Team 8 was training?"

The pale Genjutsu-mistress shook her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as she understood what the Sandaime was implying with his question.

"I don't know Hokage-Sama. Team 8 and I only witnessed what happened after Sasuke was thrown into the training area."

Sarutobi flicked the end of his pipe with the nail of his index finger sending a small spark and a cloud of ash into the air.

"Then you were not aware of Naruto-kun's apprehending of a spy within our walls a few minutes before?"

All three Jounin's eyes widened in shock. Hiruzen smiled thinly at their reaction and decided to inform them of what had happened later. For now, Sasuke had to answer his first question.

"Uchiha-san."

Sasuke's head whipped up at the authoritative voice addressed to him.

"H-HAI!"

"Did Naruto-kun really attack you?"

Sasuke began to sweat heavily as all eyes turned his way this time a few of them held uncertainty in their gazes.

"I...I- No, Sandaime-Sama...I attacked him."

The elder Hokage leaned back in his chair with a sort-of triumphant expression on his lips whilst Kakashi and Anko visibly angered. Kurenai looked aghast at what the implications of such an action may be whilst his contemporaries simply stood uncomprehendingly in the midst of it all. Inwardly, the Uchiha Survivor sighed. There was no point in hiding it now; after the flashpoint with his mother last night, there was no way he could justify what he had done.

"And why, may I ask, did a Genin, a registered Shinobi of Konoha feel the need for hostility against a civilian?"

Sasuke's face flushed at the hidden barb. Civilian? _Him?!_ There was no way that blond idiot could possibly be considered a civilian! He was far stronger than most Shinobi, let alone Civilians! He opened his mouth to retort without thinking of who he was speaking with only to be cut off by his one-eyed Sensei.

"Sasuke."

It was a quiet reminder of where the power lay in the room. He sucked in his breath and made a visible attempt to calm his rampant emotions.

"I heard that he was involved in Shisui-niisan's mission at that it was his fault that he got injured so badly."

Kakashi and Anko looked at him in shock. Everyone else had no idea what the conversation was about after that statement.

"What?! How the hell did you come up with that?!"

Sasuke turned frantic eyes on the purple-haired Jounin.

"I heard Sensei speaking in the hospital and he said it was his fault!"

Kakashi strode over, pulled out a spoon and stuck it up his butt. Sasuke yelped in pain and flopped to the ground as he desperately tried to pull the cutlery from his posterior. Anko gagged on her tongue in an effort to stop laughing and the rest of the audience stared at the scene as if Kakashi had just announced that he was actually a monkey in disguise.

'_Mind you, ´ _Kurenai thought, _'add a bit of hair here and there and he could probably pass off as one...'_

"KAKASHI-SENSEI! WHY'D YOU DO THAT TO SASUKE-KUN?! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SPOON FROM ANYWAY?!"

Kurenai winced from the volume with which the pink-haired Haruno decided to use and yet she couldn't help agreeing with the last question.

Where did he pull that spoon from?

Sarutobi coughed lightly, obviously trying to cover his chuckling but getting their attention at the same time.

"Sasuke, that was a very foolish thing to do. However, I will let your actions slide as I'm sure the news must have affected you greatly."

Anko slammed her hands down at the front of the desk, the wood creaking from the force. Sarutobi returned her furious gaze calmly.

"What the hell is that?! Do you know how much pain he's in?! Have you ever seen him cry before Hokage-Sama?! You're the one who he calls 'Jiji', so have you ever seen that kid cry in the years you've known him?!"

Kakashi remained oddly impassive and Kurenai could only wonder why Anko had risen in such a way. Why hadn't Kakashi stopped her from shouting at the Hokage and why was she shouting for that matter? She knew that Anko saw the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki regularly but she didn't know that they were so close as to warrant such a defence.

"You know, when I was trainin' him, one day I stuck a Kunai into his shoulder as we were sparrin' and I kinda dragged it all the way down his arm by the way I was movin'. He didn't let out a sound..."

Anko turned and stomped towards the door, Kakashi and Sarutobi had their heads bowed and she couldn't see what their emotions were like. There was a Chuunin Exam meeting coming up and Anko was the Second Exam's Examiner, she couldn't leave now!

"Anko! We have a meeting after this! Where are you going?"

She didn't stop, but she muttered her reply as she continued out the door.

"Then I'll flippin' wait outside..."

Kurenai sighed. Anko was such a difficult person to deal with. She did enjoy hanging around with her when she had the time, but when she got worked up it was like watching a bull slam itself against the bars of its cage.

All eyes were drawn to the window as a muffled boom echoed throughout the room. The ground shook furiously for about three seconds before dying down. The occupants could only stare in shock and horror as a wave of sand rose up on the West side of town only to crash heavily into the ground causing another earthquake. A cloud of smoke floated over the area lazily until it was blown out of the way when the top half of a building exploded in a mushroom of brick and dirt.

Kiba put it best.

"What the...hell was that?"

XXXXXXX

Naruto laughed uproariously as Gaara was trapped for the second time on one of his sticky seals he'd planted for that exact reason. A small 'Ping!' echoed through the trees as a variety of paint bombs and other assorted pranks descended on the sand-nin's head. Gaara's Sand rose up automatically to cover his head and the liquid splattered all over his defence.

"Heh, I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

The Ichibi's Jinchuuriki looked up in shock as his sand suddenly dropped from ontop of him and rolled down the side of his head leaving a long, gooey line of _something_ trailing down his body. It seemed as if the weight of the liquid caused his Chakra Control to unbalance and so it could no longer remain airborne.

Clever.

Naruto disappeared cackling as Gaara pulverised the seal etched to the ground with his sand. Standing, he wiped the sludge from his forehead and looked around slowly. There was no telling when the blond prank-master from hell would attack next.

"Gaara! HEY GAARA!"

The red-head turned to the sight of his two siblings jogging towards him.

"There you are! What are you doing out here?!"

Gaara stared at them emotionlessly for a moment. Whipping his hands out, he summoned one of his secret techniques into the palm of his outstretched appendages.

"I have puppets."

Temari screamed whilst Kankurou jumped almost a foot into the air. His sand began to vibrate.

"Y-You...DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

VRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Two perfectly round pellets of Omni-Paint came shooting from the air and cracked the new arrivals on their heads. They were quickly followed by a gout of water that drenched them from head –to-toe and caused the pellets to expand and change colour as they mixed. Gaara's sand vibrated ferociously as he stood contemplating the scene.

"W-Wha-"

"W-who-"

Temari and Kankurou blinked as they watched their youngest brother turn to the trees and address someone hidden.

"Nice choice of colours, Uzumaki Naruto."

A barking laugh floated down from the trees of Training Ground fourty-two, the area the prank war had moved to after devastating a large majority of the Village. Naruto had learned to his expense that the ground and windows were bad places to balance on when facing his friend; Glass was made of sand after all and the ground had to have a large quantity of the yellow granules stored within it.

Of course the Villagers themselves weren't spared from the fun. One unfortunate man found that his pants were very itchy whilst a group of shoppers suddenly found themselves drenched with a strange, sticky liquid that smelt oddly of a mixture between Ketchup and Sea-Food sauce.

Gaara made to jump into the trees when he found himself stuck to the ground. He glanced down to find his feet encased in a wobbly, pink substance.

"Is that...jelly?"

"MUHAHAHAHAHA! NEVER MESS WITH THE PRANK-KING UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

"I yield."

"TOO LATE FOR THAT GAARA! TAKE THIS!"

The Jinchuuriki of the Shukaku made a small 'Eep!' before he was buried up to his neck in bright yellowy-green bird feathers. They stuck to the paint and moisture from all the previous pranks and Gaara resembled a very strange bird if there was even one like it. Naruto landed gracefully between his two siblings and Gaara himself looking untouched.

"Wait..._THAT'S _Uzumaki Naruto?! THE Uzumaki Naruto?!"

Naruto nodded proudly as he thumped his chest.

"There's only one Uzumaki Naruto and you ain't me!"

Kankurou and Temari stared in abject shock as Gaara systematically preened himself from the tickling feathers covering his extremities.

"So, who're you?"

Kankurou replied in a dazed voice.

"Kankurou and Temari...we're Gaara's family..."

"Kankurou and Temari? Hmmm, is that some kind of circus?"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm sure I must've seen a poster somewhere or somethin'...you guys use those girly puppets right?"

Temari sniggered next to him as the puppeteer attempted to defend his pride.

"Oi! Temari! Shut up! You're covered in paint too!"

Needless to say, her mouth snapped shut straight away.

"Oh, heh....about that....want me to get rid of it?"

"RIGHT NOW!"

Naruto cocked an innocent eyebrow as he began forming handseals.

"Alright! But remember, you asked me to!"

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

A weak water dragon blossomed from his mouth and collided with the pair sending them skidding away through the sludge under their feet. Naruto waved after them before turning to his friend.

"So what you doin' out here Gaara? I didn't know Suna Shinobi were allowed to leave whenever they wanted!"

Gaara flicked his hand sending a glob of paint and gunge into a patch of long grass at the base of a large tree. He shook his head as he looked up slowly.

"We are not here of our own volition."

"Volly-what?!"

Gaara smiled internally; at least his vocabulary was better!

"We came for the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto 'Ohhhhed!' before pausing.

"Err...when's that?"

Gaara almost sweat-dropped.

"It starts tomorrow."

The Konoha Civilian grinned brightly as he nodded his understanding. He plodded over to his friend and threw an arm over his shoulder. Gaara reflexively leaned out of the way and started off without him. Naruto chuckled and jogged to keep pace.

"So how've you been?"

"He's been fine."

Naruto spun on his heel, his arms thrown outwards from the movement. Kankurou and Temari stood at the base of a tree behind them. Temari had her eyes closed as if contemplating something. Naruto took in their clean appearance with a critical eye. Temari was obviously older; her hair was pulled into four pig-tails arranged in a bunch at the back of her head. Her eyes were a light shade of grey when she opened them to look into his curious eyes. She smiled slightly and bobbed her head in acknowledgement and Naruto returned the gesture. Kankuorou's eyes were much smaller than his siblings', his hair concealed by the top of a strange, black one-piece suit that stuck up where the ears of an animal would usually be. Two purple lines of paint stretched from under his eyes and disappeared beneath his garb at sideburn level whilst another line ran from the centre of his forehead to under his chin. He grinned at the blond and Naruto waved.

They jumped forward, Temari light-purple skirt rustled as they landed on either side of the blond. Kankurou wrapped an arm around his neck whilst Temari hugged him from behind.

"Wh-What-"

"Thank you."

They both whispered into his ear, so quietly that he could have mistaken it for the wind. His head whipped from side-to-side as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.

"He talks about you all the time, you know. We don't know when you came to Suna, but you really helped us out."

Naruto ducked his head in embarrassment as Temari squeezed him slightly and Kankurou slapped him on the back.

"Hey, so are you really one of those puppet-actor thingies?"

Temari broke off laughing and Naruto had to lean to the side to avoid a swipe from the boy's arm.

"Hahahahahah! The funniest thing is that he actually is a puppeteer too!"

"Shut up, nee-san!"

Naruto laughed along with them but tensed as an ANBU agent appeared barring their way alongside Kakashi and Anko. Naruto avoided the two Jounin's eyes as he faced the elite operative.

"Uzuki-san! What's up?"

The mask stared back at him as if in exasperation. He couldn't really tell, but her body language spoke for itself.

"Hey, hey! Everyone knew who you were when your Bunshin popped back then! It was so obvious that you weren't actually with us the whole time!"

Anko snorted and the elegant ANBU agent didn't take her eyes from her quarry.

"Uzumaki-san, I implore that you weren't part of the travesties in the Village today."

The two friends glanced at each other.

"SCATTER!"

All four of them jumped away but Yuugao, Anko and Kakashi grabbed Naruto before he could get any further. He pouted at the headlock courtesy of a certain snake-mistress.

"Hey! No fair! You ganged up on me!"

Yuugao sighed behind her mask.

"Life is rarely fair Naruto. Sandaime-Sama wants a word with you that's all."

"Hey! You called me Naruto!"

Kakashi coughed into his mask and Anko's body trembled as they took off towards the most important building of Konoha. He was so innocently guilty that she couldn't help but love him. She was sure that Kakashi and Shisui felt the same and their patchwork family was held together by his presence. She doubted that they would have been anything more than passing acquaintances if it wasn't for the blond-bumble head.

"Naruto, if you shut up I'll buy you a lollipop later."

Kakashi palmed his face at the excited shout of 'REALLY?!' that blared in his ear. His joke had backfired; trust Naruto to throw off his punch lines all the time.

As they sped through the streets of Konoha, Anko and Kakashi couldn't help but notice that whenever they looked at him he would avoid their gaze. A sinking feeling lodged in their guts.

There was no going back now.

XXXXXXXX

The three landed quietly outside the Hokage Tower and made their way on foot towards the Sandaime's office. The journey was made in silence and Yuugao could feel the growing tension the closer they got to their destination. She couldn't begin to understand how the three felt after Shisui was incapacitated but she could sympathise with their feelings at least. It seems that they were far closer than she originally suspected.

Kakashi pushed open the door to Sarutobi's office and walked in, the others following in his wake. Naruto glanced around with a frown on his face as he saw the members of Teams 7 and 8 already within. He stopped suddenly and pointed his finger at the pale-faced Uchiha sulking at the edge of the room.

"EEEH?! What's he doin' here?! He tried to kill me yesterday!"

Sarutobi sighed from behind his desk. He stood up slowly, stretching his joints and gripping his pipe as his mouth opened in a long yawn. He then walked over to the blond, knelt and ruffled his hair. The other occupants looked at the scene in surprise.

"Naruto-kun, we already know what happened last night so we'll put that behind us. What I want to know is why the Village was shaking all day today."

"YEAH! AND HOW DARE YOU SHOUT AT SASUKE-KUN?!"

Sakura found her mouth full with Naruto's sweaty sock he had just ripped from his foot and thrown at her whilst she screamed at him. The pink-haired girl fainted in shock with a look of revulsion on her face.

"That's strange! I know I've been runnin' around a lot today, but that was a clean pair of socks this morning!"

Reaching down, he pulled the other off, an off-green, ridged cotton sock that sagged against his fingers as he held it. Taking a small whiff, he stood with a curious look on his face, the audience waiting for his reaction.

His eyes rolled up in his head and he dropped unconscious to the world.

As everyone looked on in total shock, Kakashi sweat-dropped heavily.

"Maa...I think that settles it then. What do you say Anko?"

The Special Jounin nodded distantly.

"Umm...who's gonna pick up the sock?"

The room was vacated swiftly.

ZZZZZZZZ

AND CUT! Chapter 33 done and we now move on to the Chuunin Exams! I hope everyone enjoyed the return to more lighthearted situations! I feel like the inspiration from my earlier chapters has re-awakened! :D

Not much to say apart from'Read and Review', so do leave a review people!

MegaB Signing Out!


	34. Chapter 34

Welcome back to Chapter 34 of this awful piece of fiction named K:NP!

Review Highlights go to Alternative Angel (Wonderful review, 'nuff said), SunnyHinata (She's back people!), The False One-Winged Angel (Thanks for the corrections!), Akitesyu (Very insightful, have you ever thought of starting an epic yourself?), Dragonking20 for his host of ideas, luvindigo empress (Do I have to give a reason?!), anothvortex (Again, do I need a reason?!), jolteonforever who came off particularly natural and Fallen-Ryu for...well here's his review:

"here lies fallen ryu...  
cause of death: heart attack at young age of 18 when reading the chapter...  
lets hope he doesnt rise as a zombie..."

Fanfic Highlight goes to Elizabeth Culmer's 'The Way of the Apartment Manager'. It's one of the first well-written stories in the Naruto fiction and is on par with DameWren's work. The concept is unique with its application and so I can't recommend it highly enough!

And with that we hit the start of the Chuunin Exams!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

**Reaching down, he pulled the other off, an off-green, ridged cotton sock that sagged against his fingers as he held it. Taking a small whiff, he stood with a curious look on his face, the audience waiting for his reaction.**

**His eyes rolled up in his head and he dropped unconscious to the world.**

**As everyone looked on in total shock, Kakashi sweat-dropped heavily.**

"**Maa...I think that settles it then. What do you say Anko?"**

**The Special Jounin nodded distantly.**

"**Umm...who's gonna pick up the sock?"**

**The room was vacated swiftly.**

ZZZZZZZZ

Naruto came to as the golden rays of the setting sun began to turn pink and orange. He blearily opened his eyes to find a beautiful view of the sunset streaming through the large window set into the back wall of the Hokage's office. The deep blue sky was streaked in the warm glow of the fiery orb above; the few swirling clouds were lined by a shock of reds and yellows, the royal colours setting a calm and peaceful tone to the vista. Naruto sat up slowly, his eyes fixed on the world outside. He could see the swaying Oak trees that lined the Village far off; the sea of leaves visible from the elevated vantage point afforded by the Sandaime's room. If there was one thing that appealed to a Shinobi to become Hokage it was this. He was sure that if he had to stay in this room he would never fall tired of the experience he was currently exposed to.

It was like a Chakra Pill. Within seconds of witnessing the scene he felt his energy returning to him. He grinned broadly as a heady rush, so powerful, raced through his veins in an instant. He was connected to that thing, to that heavenly body in some way. He remembered his first vow to never become a Shinobi, his vow to forge ahead on his own power protecting himself from the evils of his harsh world with the Sun hanging over his head. He also remembered promising to forgive TenTen and the Sandaime with the Red Giant blazing over him. It was like a centre piece to him, an object that he had come to recognise as a source of warmth and hope.

He never stopped to think of the irony that when the Sun sets, the light goes out.

He jerked from his thoughts as someone coughed lightly from behind him. In an instant, he was up and crouched, ready to defend against the slightest of threats.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, I see you've finally awoken. No doubt Haruno-san will be angered by your actions."

Naruto started before looking around. He caught of flash of pink hair illuminated by the dying light streaming through the window. His mind recoiled as the pungent smell of his socks reminded him of what had happened before he'd fainted.

"Err...'Ruto...When was the last time you washed them things?"

Naruto glanced towards the door and noticed a line of people standing to attention including Anko. He shrugged lightly as he stood straight.

"Anko-nee, I just got them on this morning! I swear they were clean!"

A small crash was heard from the windowsill and Naruto whipped around just in time to see a fountain of sand fall under the ledge.

"DAMN YOU GAARA! I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!"

Sarutobi coughed into his fist again to catch the blonde's attention.

"So you know the Kazekage's youngest son? It's a good thing that you are making friends Naruto."

Naruto grunted dismissively as he raised his hands and began sealing. The Jounin in the room looked on in bewilderment as the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki pulled off a flawless Karyuu Endan on the two socks lying in the room. One of the socks was lying next to the pink-haired Haruno's head and the ends of her silky tresses caught the flames and began to burn. Sakura yelped as she was rudely pulled from her peaceful, albeit ridiculously induced, slumber. She made a strange sound deep in her throat before letting out a high-pitched scream causing the dust in the office to rise from the bookshelves and other untouched surfaces.

"Hey, HEY! Stay where you are and I'll put it out!"

"Naruto, I don't thi-"

"Suiton: Suiryudan!"

Three of the Jounin ducked out of the way as Sakura dashed past with a Water Dragon hot on her heels. Naruto made to follow but Anko grabbed the back of his collar and heaved him back into the room as he passed her.

"Not so fast kiddo! We got a meetin' here and you're part of it!"

Naruto's eyes widened at that. What did he have to do with an obviously important gathering of the strongest Shinobi in Konoha when he was only a civilian? He raised his head as he heard Kakashi speak, his voice oddly blunt and raspy.

"Naruto, just wait and hear us out okay?"

The Uzumaki heir nodded slowly. What was up with 'Kashi? He'd never been so...so _down_ in all the time Naruto had known him, so why was he like that now?

"Kakashi, it's a pleasure to see you on time for once, I confess that it causes me a certain amount of wonder..."

The room was silent for a few moments; the son of the White-Fang remained withdrawn.

"Heh heh, Jiji. Your joke failed!"

Anko blanched and swiped at his head but Naruto rolled out of the way and came up beside the Jounin Sensei of Team 8.

"Oh hey, bandage-Lady! How are you?"

Yuuhi Kurenai gave the 12 year old a strange look before replying with a small 'I'm fine'. Naruto glanced around the room carefully; he had no business staying here. Why was he being included in this forum?!

"As I'm sure you are curious Naruto-kun, we shall get right to the matter. Anko, you requested Naruto-kun to attend this meeting and I would like to know why."

Anko shifted slightly to the side to get a better view of her ex-student.

"Well seein' as I'm the proctor for the Second Exam, I can do what I want right?"

Sarutobi nodded his acknowledgement.

"Great! 'Cause I wanna use 'Ruto in my test!"

There was a collective intake of breath and Kakashi smacked his forehead with the heel of his palm. He should have known it would be something like that although he really couldn't blame Anko for doing it. After the success of the methods the blond Jinchuuriki had used in his team's graduation test, Anko was bound to use the skills exhibited by their young friend.

Hiruzen remained quiet for a few seconds, studying the face of the Tokubetsu Jounin he had nominated for leading the exam in the first place. It seemed as if every person who befriended Konoha's Resident Pariah became enamoured with his personality and strength of character. What the Snake-wielding Kunoichi had just pronounced was tantamount to a pledge of trust; she placed full faith in her nominee that not only was he very capable, but he also had the right mindset to take on such a responsibility. It struck the venerable leader then that some of the decisions he had been making lately were almost absurd. Naruto was a civilian; there had not been a similar case of using the skills of a one such as him for the sake of the whole since the Village had been formed. It was uncannily similar to the way the clans applied themselves when they were scattered families seeking their own military superiority with no ties to hold them together.

"And why, may I ask, would you recommend that a civilian should be included in a Shinobi's Exam?"

Anko grinned and placed her hands behind her head, her posture the very essence of confidence.

"'Cause he's awesome, that's why!"

Naruto blushed slightly from the praise and the Mitarashi winked at him. He smiled back.

"Anko, we're talking about Jounin work here! He's not even a ninja!"

"Ahh, shut up Aoba! Go play with your crows somewhere!"

Kakashi frowned at the hidden barb, linking the events from the catastrophic mission to Wave with the resentment within her statement. It wasn't like her to hold grudges like that unless it was something to do with Orochimaru, but it seemed that Shisui's injury and her own defeat had affected her far more than she let on.

"Enough! Naruto-kun, what do you say to this suggestion? Would you like to fulfil the role Anko wants you to?"

The temperature in the room dropped slightly as Naruto caught his gaze. The Sandaime's eyes were guarded and calculating. Naruto knew that he was testing him in some way, deliberately asking a question so as to elicit a response from him and gage his thoughts. White-hot anger rose in his chest for a second; he hadn't changed; he was still manipulating things behind the veil of protecting the Village. In retrospect, he probably had Konoha's best interests at heart, but he was ready to sacrifice the livelihood of a few to keep the majority happy and that was something that Naruto couldn't agree with.

But this wasn't about him, this was about Anko. She showed unshakeable faith in him, something that kept him hanging to the bare thread of sanity remaining in his mind. She didn't hold him accountable for Shisui's predicament even though it was his fault. Those grey eyes, those maddeningly collected windows to the soul that ordered people to their deaths stared back at him as he pondered the situation.

"You don't change, do you...Jiji..."

Sarutobi gasped quietly as the whispered words reached his ears. None knew the significance of that statement but he, and with a sinking feeling in his gut he realised that he had probably crossed the line for the last time. He opened his mouth to protest his case, say anything at least to rekindle the shining eyes Minato's sole heir used to look at him with. It was a source of light for him, one that he had lost due to his own folly. Naruto cut him off before he could say anything.

"Anko-nee, I'll do it if you want me to. I'll see you later."

He turned to leave, his shoulders sagging slightly as if from an added pressure, one that had been absent before the meeting. Anko stared at his back, perplexed. What just happened there?

"Naruto! I-"

The door closed with an echoing finality.

Sarutobi sighed warily. It seemed as if everything he did ended up affecting their relationship negatively. Was he to blame or was Naruto remaining in his naive mindset? He was beginning to think that it was more a case of their ideals clashing now that he'd had a taste of what being a Shinobi was really like. If there was ever a time he regretted teaching the boy some easy techniques it was now. Putting his thoughts to the side he turned back to his Subordinates.

"Alright, which of the rookie teams will be submitted this time?"

XXXXXXX

Naruto walked casually out of the door to the Hokage Tower ignoring the slight glare from the receptionist on duty. As he moved from the shadowed doorway a hand grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the darkness.

"Oi Naruto, stay here for a bit."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at Kankurou and Temari who were crouched in a small alcove next to the main entrance. They had their heads together as if planning something devious, but Naruto had no idea what it was they could be whispering about on a warm Konoha evening. Kankurou grabbed him in a rough headlock and pulled him down next to them.

"Listen man! Gaara's going crazy! He's playing pranks on people all over the Village and it's going to become an international incident unless we do something about it! He's the Kazekage's son for crying out loud!"

Naruto turned a curious glance on the older boy.

"Err...you're his brother right?" Kankurou nodded. "Then why the heck don't you just speak to him about it?!"

Temari blanched at the suggestion.

"Speak to him?! Are you nuts?! We tried to talk him out of pulling dad's pants down in the middle of a council before and he trapped us in his sand for the rest of the night!"

"Oh."

There was a brief, pregnant pause where Naruto attempted to visualise the two siblings cocooned in the yellow granules but suddenly what the girl had said clicked in his mind.

"Wait....HE PULLED THE KAZEKAGE'S PANTS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEETING?!"

Both Kankurou and Temari slapped their hands over the younger blonde's mouth.

"Shhhhh! Are you trying to get us caught?!"

Naruto snickered so hard that spittle sprayed the Suna Shinobi's hands and they were forced to pull their palms away in disgust. Temari uttered a low 'Eww!' and began scrubbing the damp extremity on the hem of her lilac skirt. Kankurou rubbed his palm over Naruto's back as compensation.

"Anyway, what's he plannin'?"

The two siblings glanced at each other with a shared morbid expression before turning back to the Konoha Jinchuuriki.

"Did you see that pink-haired girl run past earlier with burnt hair and her dress all wet?"

Naruto snorted and clamped down on his tongue in an effort to silence his laughter and the brother and sister stared at him.

"Err, you had something to do with that didn't you?"

Naruto nodded jerkily. Temari sighed.

"We should have known it was something like that. You were the one to teach Gaara all of this anyway..."

Naruto shrugged and patted her on the head. She ducked out of the way but threw an arm over his shoulders and squeezed lightly.

"Hey, I'm not blaming you. It's a big improvement compared to what he used to be."

Kankurou winced at the reminder and Naruto grimaced slightly.

"Yeah I know. I know what he was like back then."

The two siblings glanced at each other hesitantly. They knew an Uzumaki Naruto had passed through their Village more than two years ago from the amount Gaara would mention him, but they never knew the actual details of his visit. Gaara's personality had taken a complete one-eighty and suddenly the capital of Wind Country had feared their resident Jinchuuriki for a totally different reason than they had before. The Village had been turned upside down by the regular pranks that seemed to affect every single member of the population. Even the Kazekage wasn't spared; in fact, their stern leader appeared to be a much more prominent target than anyone else in the Village if the number of embarrassing situations he had been placed in were anything to go by.

"Look, forget this! We have to find him before he does something stupid!"

Naruto placed his palm on his chin and pondered over the situation. If Gaara was going after the Haruno girl then that meant he was actually planning a prank on a Shinobi from an allied country. It could very well lead to a big misunderstanding at this point...

Wait. He was going after Sakura!

"I know where he is!"

Temari glanced at him, perplexed.

"You do?"

Naruto grinned widely.

"Yup!"

XXXXXXXXX

Tanukis never attacked their prey head-on. Not only was it an un-stylish way to do things, but Tanukis had to take into account that they were far smaller than the things they were usually hunting. One might scoff and say 'well then, why are they hunting things obviously bigger than themselves?' Tanukis looked at it differently though.

Bigger things were better, just like a sand-castle was far more luxurious and grander than a sand mound. If you spent time making something with all their intricacies and idiosyncrasies, you were bound to reap a far tastier fruit than one would normally expect to receive. Today's target was a ninja, a rubbish one at that since she had absolutely no idea that she was being followed and appeared to have been assaulted and beaten quite badly beforehand.

Her hair was burnt and she was soaking wet. How bad a Kunoichi did you have to be that you didn't have a defence against opposite attacks?! At least focus on one element!

But then again, nobody was really like him and so he couldn't compare his skills to anyone else. The only person remotely similar was his blond friend and that was only when it came to the details, there wasn't really anything else. Gaara frowned in consternation at his mental predicament. What was like anything anyway? Could you really say something was like something else when everything was fundamentally different? Wedgies could never be the same as say....a sand slide after all. The only thing linking them was the fact that he tended to get that funny feeling in his gut that made his sand all wobbly.

He didn't know that it was actually called 'amusement'.

Wedgie it was then.

His sand descended silently until it was hovering in a big cloud behind the pink-haired girl. He placed it in the same space as her shadow so that she wouldn't see any signs of the attack before it actually hit her. With a swipe of his hand, the golden granules seized the hem of her singed, slit skirt and pulled it over her head leaving her hanging upside down.

"GAARA!"

The red-head glanced up the road to find his brother and sister resting on their knees and panting whilst his first friend stood looking at him with a bewildered expression.

"GAARA! YOU CAN'T WEDGIE A GIRL!"

He cocked his head in thought.

"You can't?"

Temari collapsed into raucous giggles at the sight of a screaming pinkette, decrying bloody murder at her sand-induced predicament. It was lucky that she had been wearing shorts under her dress or a whole bunch of embarrassing situations would have sprung up around him. Kankurou looked on in awe with the apparent comfortableness his younger brother seemed to revel in even after doing something as ludicrous as that.

"G-Gaara...you s-should have told me you were into t-this kind of stuff! I c-could have helped you out!"

Temari cried tears of mirth at the absurd situation presented in front of her. This was just...unbelievable. Naruto glanced at Temari out of the corner of his eye and the corners of his lips twitched upwards slightly. He bit his thumb and swiped it down the side of his forearm eliciting a puff of smoke. A dull click echoed around the clearing followed by another pop; the actions so fast that no-one was able to see what he actually did. Kankurou and Temari knew enough about him by now that they simply ignored it.

"Umm...Gaara can you let her down now?"

Gaara turned to look back at his handiwork before glancing at Naruto as if for approval. Naruto cackled with glee and shook his head. Sakura's screams fell on deaf ears.

"Can we just...get out of here please? I don't want to be accused of molesting a little girl."

The pink-haired Haruno squawked indignantly as they turned-tail and jogged away. Her defeated shouts and demands to be let down followed them as they left the scene.

"What does 'molesting' mean?"

Temari broke into another fit of giggles and Naruto sniggered as Kankurou flushed with embarrassment. The pedestrians walking past stared at him funny and he began to look quite flustered. Gaara innocent expression didn't help much and Naruto wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

"Hey Naruto, you want to hang around at our place for dinner or something?"

Naruto glanced at the pig-tailed blond in shock.

"W-What?!"

Temari smiled at him encouragingly.

"Well?"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and the other three walked a few steps further before turning to face him.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto stared at each of them in turn.

"You sure you want me around? You're with a teacher right? I'm not exactly famous in Sand for bein' a good person."

"Huh? You're famous in Suna? Since when? I don't think I've ever heard your name unless Gaara was talking about you."

Naruto frowned at Kankurou.

"Wait so they never found out about the missin' Jutsu scrolls?"

Gaara's sand rose and fell awkwardly. A small breeze played out around them causing their clothes to rustle and Temari's hair to wave slightly.

"Baki-Sensei's gonna murder you."

Temari nodded beside her brother.

"Especially since you nabbed one of his personal scrolls too. You'd better give it back if you still have it."

Naruto blanched at her words.

"Eheheh..."

They continued walking in a companionable silence, the sun finally dropping below the horizon. As they walked towards the hotel that the Suna teams were staying, the road-lamps flickered to life around them bathing the shop-awnings and walkways in cool creams and whites. They turned off the road heading back towards the Hokage tower and ducked under the sliding doors of a fancy hotel near the centre of the Village. The foyer was a sight to behold; a giant shimmering chandelier perched precariously on a small nub of metal fixed to the ceiling. The glittering monstrosity swung perilously to each side sending a myriad of colours floating over the walls in a lattice pattern. It created an expensively mysterious atmosphere, as if the room were vastly different from the normal world just outside the glass double doors they had entered from.

At the far side of the hallway, a gleaming mahogany desk stood pushed against the wall, its varnished surface obviously smooth to the touch. They passed it on their way up towards the stairwell to the first floor. The Sand Siblings hardly glanced at the lavish decorations as if they were used to it but Naruto's head swivelled every which way, attempting to take in all the colours that seemed to jump out at him yet blend in with their surroundings with ease. He'd never seen anything quite like it; it seemed as if the visiting countries were treated very well in Konoha and it only made him angrier with the kind of life he had been forced to endure.

What kind of people treated their own like scum and others like royalty?

They passed the first floor on their way up to the Sand team's current lodgings, this time a passageway longer than it was wide, though no less deluxe. They exited onto the landing of the second floor and made their way down the hall over a lush wine-red carpet, so deep that their feet sank into the warm bristles with every step. Naruto ran his fingers along the wall; his fingertips bobbing over the small bulges and digging into the crevices of the convoluted designs carved into the wallpaper. He couldn't begin to understand the feeling that rose in his chest at that moment. It was as if his world was so completely obscure that it was like stepping into a different civilisation. The gap between his every day experiences and the one he was staring out at now were just so..._different_ that he felt uncomfortable just being here. If his companions noticed his unease, they didn't comment on it.

Later that night when Gaara had stepped into the shower, Naruto reclined on the soft leather sofa that seemed to suck him in when he had first perched on it. It was like sitting on air. The Sand Siblings' hotel room was far more introverted than the rest of the building he had seen. The walls were a simple magnolia and the front door opened up to a moderately sized living room connected side-by-side with a kitchen. The living room was furnished sparsely; a pair of leather settees on either side of a ridged oak table. The wood was obviously waxed and polished as it shone in the bright light generated by the lamp fixed to the ceiling directly above it. There was a small pane of glass in the shape of rectangle placed in the middle of the tabletop allowing a view of what was underneath should the need arise. A small hallway led off to the bathroom and three bedrooms that the team obviously shared during their stay in the Village. Kankurou had said something about puppets before ducking into one of the bedrooms and Temari was busy clearing up the pots from their dinner.

Naruto regretted standing up as the warmth from the sofa dissipated. Sighing, he made his way to the glass door exiting to a modest balcony on the outside of the building. He pulled the door open and rested his chin against the cool metal banister bordering the protrusion.

"You okay out there?"

Naruto glanced sideways as Temari slid her arms over the railing and leaned her back against it. Naruto returned to staring out at the night lights twinkling in the dusk of the Village.

"What makes you think otherwise?"

She hummed lightly and raised her eyes to the heavens. There was a small, refreshing breeze playing through the area and it did much to relax them as they stood next to each other.

"I know it's a bit weird having dinner with people you've only just met, but me and Kankurou really wanted to do something for you after how much you helped our family. Dad's always been distant so it was a bit of a shock when Gaara suddenly stopped killing people."

Naruto continued to stare at the horizon. The second floor was quite a height from the ground and he could see a great deal of the sprawling Village laid out around him.

"I only went to Suna to see what it was like. I...I didn't really know where I was goin'..."

"Well I'm glad you did."

He looked sideways sharply to find Temari smiling at him. The edges of her mouth thinned and her grin died on her lips as she remembered something from her past.

"You said you knew what Gaara was like back then. Why did you say that?"

Naruto closed his eyes as another soft breeze reached them. The air curled around the contours of his face as he unconsciously controlled the wind for himself. Temari's eyes widened slightly as she felt his Chakra react almost instinctually. She opened her mouth to question him but he began answering her question before she could say anything.

"I saw him all alone. It reminded me of...things. I went to cheer him up and thought about teaching him how to laugh. His eyes were dead back then...I dunno why but his sand was movin' all funny like he was sad or angry about something. I remember thinking that maybe his sand moves depending on what he's feeling at the time."

Temari nodded slightly to show that she'd heard. Her attention was fixed on the blond male's face and it was making him slightly uneasy. He forged ahead to distract himself from her gaze.

"It was like...like he was in pain, ya' know? He thought I was gonna kill him, said something about someone sending me to kill him as if it happened all the time. It weirded me out! Honest!"

Temari snickered slightly at the befuddled expression that crossed his face and he stuck his tongue out at her before continuing.

"I thought he really needed to lighten up, I mean he didn't even know what a prank was! We talked for a bit and I guess I talked him into playing a prank on some guy that ran past, probably a ninja or somethin' and well....he just..."

"...He just killed him."

The blond-haired girl gasped softly. Naruto couldn't bear to see the look on her face at that moment in case she blamed him just as much as he blamed himself.

"It was so easy...so quick...like it didn't matter to him, like that guy's life didn't just disappear so quickly in that instant. Didn't he know what a person's life meant? Didn't he think about his own life? Wasn't he scared that he might end up like that?! I-"

"Shhh."

Temari placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes had begun to quiver in their sockets and she realised then that his smiles and jokes were just a front, a cover to hide the sadness within him. In a way, he was very similar to Gaara and maybe it was that that caused her youngest brother to change so much. They were alike and yet so different that he was convinced that he too was able to change if he wanted. He began channelling his efforts into his pranks bringing about a new era of chaos to Sunagakure no Sato. He even managed to make a few friends although she was using the word very loosely. She was sure that the only person Gaara considered a 'friend' stood beside her at that moment.

She knew his unease; it wasn't unlike the quirks that appeared in veteran ANBU from the assassination missions they were forced to run at some regularity. He'd obviously seen too many things for his mind to totally comprehend and he was almost at the bursting point.

"It's getting late and we've got the first exam tomorrow. We'll see you then, ok?"

Naruto stared at her for a moment before nodding.

"I'm not in the exam. I'm not a Genin."

"What?"

Naruto spun around and moved back inside the living room.

"I'm not a Shinobi."

Temari's mouth worked up and down as she struggled to come to terms with his words.

"B-But...but you can use Chakra! You know all those techniques! How can you not be a ninja?!"

He shook his head and smiled through his bangs.

"I didn't want to be a Shinobi but...I guess I needed to protect myself."

She was left gaping at his back as he pulled open the door.

And froze.

"YOU! THE BREAKING WIND!"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

"Huh?"

"Baki-Sensei, wha-"

"I WILL KILL YOU AND RETRIEVE SUNA'S SECRETS FROM YOUR THIEVING HANDS!"

"Ehehehe....about that...."

"WHAT?!"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck.

"I kinda...chucked it away?"

Silence.

"Eheheheheh....err...I'll be goin' now! Bye!"

Naruto sprinted around the idle form of the Suna Jounin and escaped down the hallway. Temari could only stare at her Sensei. How would he take knowing that his pride and joy had been tossed into a waterfall because someone thought it wasn't worth anything?

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She sighed exasperatedly as the wind-master collapsed to his knees and began crying huge tears of loss. Why was her teacher such a big drama-queen?

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! OK, I said I'd start the first exam this chapter but I ended up cutting it short. I know it's been a week but I've been really busy! I'm trying to write whenever I can so hopefully I'll maintain the length and time between updates for now.

I hope everyone liked this chapter as much as I did! The Chuunin Exams gets in full-swing next chapter and there'll be some more of Kakashi too! Oh, and some torture of a certain head of Torture and Interrogation! To tide you guys over until then I'll leave you with a particularly wacky idea that sprang into my head lately. And so here you have it!

ZZZZZZZZ

OMAKE: WHY KISHIMOTO HAD NARUTO NOT KILL SASUKE AT THE VALLEY OF THE END.

ZZZZZZZZ

Naruto killed Sasuke. Not just killed....he blew his head off with a Kyuubi-induced Rasengan.

Unfortunately, that didn't go over well with some people.

Sakura, having had doubts of the outcome of the battle, decided to follow her third teammate after her crush only to find his headless body soaking the granite with his blood. Screaming in fury, she pitched a Kunai at her decidedly fatigued_, living_ teammate.

He dropped dead on the spot.

Tsunade had also foreseen something going wrong and so had followed behind the motley crew of Genin and Chuunin. Having sent her accompanying Iryounin to the injured, she'd continued on to find the pink idiot murdering her surrogate grandson.

Sakura's head was removed by a brutally placed punch.

Kakashi arrived to find his team dead causing a myriad of emotions to rise in his soul. The agony of his past rose up within him and he snapped.

Tsunade died courtesy of a straight Raikiri.

Jiraiya, on his naughty travels, witnessed the scene of his only loyal team member's untimely demise. Naturally, Kakashi departed the world of the living sleeping with the fishies.

Maito Gai found that he could not survive without his rival. Lee decided that his Sensei's suicide was a certain pervert's fault. Kabuto arrived on the scene to find that Orochimaru-Sama's dreams had been shattered and there was only a green-clad maniac crying his eyes out in the middle of a mound of bodies, strangely all headless. He toppled over with a Kunai to the back of the head.

Orochimaru decided that things were taking too long and so he'd go and retrieve Sasuke himself now that he was in his newest body for the next three years. Naturally, a certain bun-haired Kunoichi ended up without a noggin after the Kusanagi had dealt with her.

By this time the Kyuubi had finally ripped himself from the corpse of the stupidest jail he'd ever seen. He would know too since he'd lived for so long. Looking at the carnage around him he stared at the ant that reminded him of a snake that seemed to radiate a strange smell of urine. He snorted.

These pitiful humans were already killing themselves! It seemed as if he didn't need to rid the world of them after all!

Orochimaru stared in shock as the Kyuubi turned and walked away. Well, it wasn't so much as _walking_ as it was every-step-causing-a-crater-and-an-earthquake-whenever-a-paw-or-whatever-you-call-a-chakra-construct-anyway sort of thing.

That was of course before the Akatsuki killed him for 'ruining their plans'.

And before Konoha waged war against the same group of Missing-nin for killing their leader.

Ten years later the world lamented the loss of Shinobi. Who knew it was all because of a stupid plot point that the actual author was clever enough to skip in the first place....

_Figures..._

ZZZZZZZ

And there you have it! Do leave a review and tell me what you think! All reviews are read and replied to! It helps me write!

Ja ne!

MegaB


	35. Chapter 35

Yosh, number 35!

Review Highlights go to erm...anothvortex? To tell you the truth, I didn't have a lot of reviews last chapter so I'm kinda at a loss as to what to put here... *cries*

An anonymous reviewer called '?' said that K:NP was one of the best fanfictions '?' has ever read...It's a shame I get so few reviews, but thanks you very much! 'Thank you' to knuckz for some awesome support and a good few questions to which I hope my answers were useful. And lastly, a highlight goes to 'The Name of the Reader' who gave my story 5 stars! Thank you all so much; it's nice to see that even when other stories that are far better than mine are updated, I still have some people who are honest with mine!

I don't have a story highlight today because I was too lazy to ask an author for permission and partially because I couldn't be bothered. To make up for that, here's 35!

ZZZZZZZZ

The morning of the First Exam dawned bright and clear and Naruto really wanted to sleep in. It wasn't as if he was even needed until the Second Exam anyway and so even if he did get up early, everyone he knew would be busy getting there. He could try and track down Kakashi but that would be an exercise in futility. The eccentric Jounin was always late to everything and he was sure that at this point, his Genin team would be higher on his priorities than a visit from the blond-haired Jinchuuriki. TenTen had arrived late that night, probably trapped up in some last minute training with that crazy Sensei of hers and had evidently left early that morning for her breakfast dishes were still laid out in the kitchen.

It was the same with Anko. She would probably be caught up in preparing whatever mindless savagery she intended to drop on the poor ninjas' heads.

He didn't envy them.

Sighing, he made his way through his morning routine with the gusto of a lazy hippo. It was still quite early, just past seven in the morning by his estimation; the clock on the wall had long since died and he couldn't be bothered to get a new battery if that would even solve the problem. Something told him that it wasn't just the power that made the hours hand move faster than the minutes one.

He slipped his sandals onto his feet, pulling the backs up over his heels and stamping around to make sure they fit snugly. Opening the door with a rattle, he stepped out into the mid-morning sun and closed the door behind him. He might as well train with the time he had; there was no point going lax now of all times just because there wasn't anyone around to train him. He lazily traced a route to the nearest training ground, not even bothering to return the looks of mistrust and anger that were commonplace whenever he left his house. When he arrived at the ground he found it locked.

'_That's strange; shouldn't it be open by now?'_

Shrugging lightly, he scaled the wire fence expertly coating his palms and feet with Chakra so that the thin wires didn't cut into his skin. Stretching out his Chakra he caught a flicker not too far from him. The Shinobi, and he knew it was a Jounin as the control was far too good to be anything else, was idle and so Naruto didn't believe it to be a threat. Curiosity overwhelmed him and he decided to check why a ninja would be hanging around a locked training ground in the first place.

He parted two bushes and entered a small clearing with Konoha's midnight-blue Cenotaph standing at the centre. He caught sight of Kakashi standing in front of the memorial staring at it with uncharacteristic concentration. Shaking himself from his thoughts he was about to call to his friend when he caught the Jounin saying something.

"...You know I always thought that I'd be the first to go down..."

'_What? What's he on about?'_

Kakashi continued his monologue, completely disregarding the presence of the blond behind him.

"He was so much like you...he has the same hairstyle, the same sort of personality...I really thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to repay my mistakes from before...maybe even from our mission in Iwa..."

Kakashi snorted and looked up. At first Naruto thought he was crying, but as he scrutinised his friend further, there weren't any tears trailing down from his visible eye. His gaze was melancholic and his face was set in an expression that stretched his mask in an obscure way. Naruto suddenly felt unsure of himself, as if he were intruding on something that he really shouldn't be witnessing.

"That was stupid, I know. I don't think I'll ever be able to pay for something like that. I was the first one to hit Jounin after all and yet the first to go was you...then Rin....then Sensei..."

Naruto had had enough. Kakashi shouldn't be like this; he should be his usual annoyingly aloof self that exuded a mysteriously esoteric vibe to everyone he met. He shouldn't be capable of the emotions he was showing right now, it wasn't _right_.

"'Kashi-nii?"

He tilted his head to the side slightly, his single eye boring into Naruto blue gaze like an unearthly drill.

"How much did you hear?"

Naruto shivered at the monotonous voice that addressed him.

"Not much. You okay?"

Kakashi turned his head to stare at the memorial once again, ignoring his question outright.

"What's wro-"

"It's weird, don't you think? How someone who puts himself at the forefront of a war would come out unscathed and yet the ones who didn't would die."

Naruto stared at the back of his head.

"Every war that was ever fought....there'd be heroes that were remembered, Shinobi who had the strength to come out of every battle in success."

He laughed mirthlessly the sound harsh in the silence of the greenery around them. The trees swayed slowly creating an illusory effect.

"Maaa, the Yondaime was my Sensei after all, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised."

Naruto didn't know how to reply.

"'Kashi-nii, if this is about Shisui-"

"Have you ever murdered a child because you were told to?"

Naruto stepped back slowly.

"What, what are you-"

"I've killed countless of them....prodigies from the other hidden Villages that may become a threat later on...young Genin protecting my mission objective...ANBU's a one-way trip to hell."

He turned and faced his young friend fully, his body sagging and hunched as he peered through baggy eyes.

"I'm glad you never became a Shinobi Naruto. You made the right choice. Minato-Sensei would have approved."

Naruto was left standing in the rustling leaves as the famous Copy-nin walked out of the clearing.

What did the Yondaime have to do with _that_?!

XXXXXXXX

"In fifty minutes you will put down your pens and I will ask the tenth question. Any questions? No? Good. BEGIN!"

The sound of paper crinkling erupted throughout the room as the prospective Chuunin turned their papers over and began scanning through the questions frantically. Morino Ibiki, the head of ANBU's notorious Torture and Interrogation section grinned slightly at the tension rising from the examinees. The exam was aimed at testing the Genin's abilities of information gathering, being able to think outside the box and doing so discretely enough that they weren't caught. Flicking a Kunai from under his sleeve, he nailed a green-haired Kusa-nin's question 1 into the desk after the idiot tried to let off a strange Doku-Jutsu in the middle of the theatre.

Which idiot would make handseals in the middle of a room when twenty-one people were actively monitoring for that kind of thing?!

"Numbers 23, 38 and 11, get out of here. You lot fail."

The boy shouted indignantly and he fixed him with a defiant glare. He laughed internally when the boy quieted immediately and began walking stiffly towards the door. Oh, it paid to be a specialist!

Clearing his throat loudly to break the brats from their misplaced concentration (one pink-haired girl was actually working them out! What a nerd!), he sneered at the front row and sat down in his wooden chair at the front, his entire pose screaming 'CONDESCENDING!' at the poor challengers. He schooled his features and drilled his gaze into anyone that looked a little shifty. His efforts seemed to pay off as the tension continued to rise. His Chuunin helpers persistently called out names, disqualifying the clumsy oafs that managed to get caught. Some of the more unique Genin were really putting effort into getting their answers though; he winked at the bun-haired girl on the corner of the third row and signalled the batch of mirrors she had set up on the ceiling. Ingenious. She squirmed and looked away.

He only chuckled at her antics.

One Genin wasn't having it though.

Gaara peered out from behind his red locks, watching the unabashed Jounin dealing out his own form of mental torture to the idiots in the room. The arrogant man caught his eye and grinned devilishly. Gaara wasn't going to let this slide; it was an affront to his nature and he was scaring his brother and sister too. A prank was in order.

An especially embarrassing one.

But what could he do? He glanced around the room carefully. He had his sand, but that would be too obvious to use in the midst of all the examinees. Maybe if he used it in a focused burst or something he could get away with it, but he already had the Third Eye hovering over another person's exam paper and recording the answers. Ten Chuunin sat on either side of the rows of desks scribbling on their clipboards intermittently, recording all of the more obvious attempts at cheating. Kankurou could probably help in this situation using his Chakra strings, but Gaara had no way of contacting his elder brother in such a controlled environment. Not to mention he'd be too scared to do anything anyway. Gaara nodded resolutely; Morino Ibiki had it coming and the people that failed were useless anyway.

Ibiki looked up when a prospective Chuunin wearing glasses and a fat moustache yelped in apparent pain. He cocked an eyebrow at the man as he leaned down behind his desk to scratch an itch on his ankle.

That was when all hell broke loose.

The man was lifted from his chair and thrown at the examiner so quickly that Ibiki wasn't able to see what had managed to do it. He dodged to the side as the examinee tumbled over the small desk at the front of the room. He turned to study the man with a cold glare. Unfortunately, his back being turned, he wasn't able to miss the next two human projectiles that hurtled his way. One slammed into his back, throwing him through the centre of the chipboard desk with an audible crunch and the other sailed over his head, a flailing arm catching the side of his head and ripping his bandanna from his brow. Ibiki rose to his feet feeling disoriented and dizzy, a furious expression colouring his features.

"YOU MAGGOTS! WHO THE HELL-"

Ibiki stopped mid-rant as a very funny feeling overcame him. He twitched before suddenly launching himself into the blackboard causing a crack to spider-web from the impact point. The Genin were in an array of positions. Some were laughing so hard that they had fallen from their seats. A few were simply too shocked for words and one particular Aburame seemed to be choking on his bugs.

'_Funny,'_ Ibiki thought through the haze of pain and confusion _'I always thought that their bugs were stored in their bodies, not their mouths...'_

That was, of course, before he suddenly had the impulse to head butt the wall causing one unfortunate Genin to laugh so hard that his spittle drenched his exam paper, no doubt causing him to fail in the long run. The Chuunin proctors looked on in mild shock; THE Morino Ibiki was acting like a monkey on one of the Nidaime's Hydration Pills and yet they couldn't figure out if it was simply a ploy to get more candidates disqualified or he was actually being tossed around like a rag-doll. The chances of someone being in the room that was actually able to do such a thing were slim and so no matter how much it looked like the contrary, they passed it off as part of the exam.

It was a very effective strategy, as evidenced by the total disregard to their examination papers once the tumult set in.

Gaara didn't know that poking someone in the brain would make them do things like that. When he'd knocked the man's bandanna off, he'd only thought of poking some sand into the holes on his cranium to see if he could plug them up. According to Gaara, people with plugs in their heads looked very funny even though he couldn't laugh at it. So with that in mind, he'd sent a small amount of sand into what was obviously the result of a particularly gruesome torture session for the Jounin. To see Ibiki suddenly send himself into a blackboard and then begin performing a weird type of dance that looked more painful than possible...

Could a human even move like that?!

"_**POKE HARDER YOU INFIDELIC HUMAN TERMITE!"**_

Well that may very well kill the proctor and he couldn't have that. The Shukaku had never given sound advice; it seemed as if he only revelled in death and discord. At least he'd done what needed to be done, right?

Naruto would have done the same!

XXXXXXXX

Naruto lay prone underneath a particularly wide oak tree that spread its branches throughout the area and shadowing the world beneath it from the sun's rays. He was exhausted after a particularly strenuous training session and there wasn't even anyone to practise with. He'd become accustomed to training with someone but now everyone who would usually be available were off doing their own things.

He sighed grumpily and stared up through the foliage, trying to make out the sun through the sea of green leaves. It wasn't that he hated Konoha, far from it. If he could live here in peace, he wouldn't have it any other way. It was the denizens of said hidden Village that were the problem; they were so hostile and unwelcoming that he never felt as if the place was home. His time outside of the boundaries of the capital of Hi no Kuni had brought him an epiphany. There were places out there that didn't know anything about his status as a Jinchuuriki, places where he could walk down the street without experiencing the looks of distrust everywhere he turned. The visage of a particularly pudgy man who looked more than a little inebriated flashed through his mind.

He sat up slowly, pulling a loose strand of grass from the ground beneath him and rolling it between his fingers. He placed his back against the side of the tree and leaned his head back until his hair pressed against the rough surface. Breathing out slowly, he closed his eyes with a few warm rays of the ball of fire above breaking through the canopy and striking his eyelids, causing an eruption of orange and red across his vision.

His eyes snapped open and he rolled to the side as three Kunai buried themselves up to their hilts where he had been laying moments before. Using the momentum from his roll he sprang to his feet, his eyes scanning the surroundings at an accelerated rate. He flared his Chakra once, twice and then a last time, locating the position of his attacker. Grinning slightly he sped through some handseals and disappeared into the ground.

He shot out right behind his opponent although she was already spinning to face him. It was too little too late. His right arm flashed out, Wind Chakra brimming around his elbow as his fist struck her shoulder at high speed. The force was so great that she was lifted off the ground and continued in her spinning motion like a top. Naruto bit back a curse at the pain coursing through his knuckles due to his use of the Kazeken; he really needed to find a way to protect his hand from the ferocious backlash. Anko landed with a thump a small moan rumbling in her throat. Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out a small round object that reflected the sun like a mirror.

'_Is that a...coin?'_

"Anko-nee, do you know what happens when metal comes into contact with a magnet? What if there were two magnets? See, what if I had two magnets around this coin?"

Her eyes widened in shock as he flicked the coin into the air and sped through handseals. Two simultaneous Hibanas sprang up between the index and middle fingers on both hands. The blond joined them together and struck the coin on either end. Sparks leapt and the smell of ozone permeated the area as the coin blistered past in a beam of electric blue. She felt the air heat up to insane temperatures in the wake of such a powerful weapon. The coin shot through the ground to the right of her ear and she trembled at the sheer _power_ that had torn through the ground so quickly.

That was a _killer's_ Jutsu, how he'd thought that up was totally beyond her.

"G-Gaki...NEVER USE THAT THING ON ME AGAIN!"

Naruto waved his hands protectively in front of him and dropped onto his butt in a seated position.

"So what'd you want?"

She scowled at him.

"Don't change the subject! Did you just use two electromagnets to do that?"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"Err, yeah?"

She slapped him on the back of his neck.

"How did you know that electricity forms magnets? You're too stupid to think of somethin' like that!"

Indignation crossed his features immediately.

"HEY! WHAT'S THAT S'POSED TO MEAN?"

Anko slapped him again.

"Answer the question!"

He grumbled under his breath and received another slap for his troubles.

"Would you cut that out?! Look, One time I was practicing at home and when I joined my fingers the knife and fork on my table attacked me. Happy now?!"

Anko broke down laughing at the stupidest explanation she'd ever heard. Knowing Naruto, it was probably true as well.

"AHAHAHA...your cutlery attacked you?! OH, THAT'S TOO MUCH! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Naruto swiped at her head but she ducked out of the way and continued to laugh uproariously.

"It's not THAT funny! How was I meant to know that joining your fingers when usin' the Hibana's a bad thing?! It didn't say that in the scroll Jiji gave me!"

When Anko finally quieted enough to think logically, she explained it to him.

"Kid, when electrical circuits are completed, the current creates a magnetic field around the direction it flows. You complete a circuit when you join them together. Your body is a big conductor and since a Raiton Jutsu is designed to amplify the body's natural electricity usin' Chakra...you get the idea right?"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck in thought.

"So that's why they act like magnets, huh? Doesn't that mean one has to be channelling the Chakra in an opposite direction for it to work?"

Anko nodded with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah, that's right! You must've channelled your Chakra in opposite directions unconsciously or it never would've worked."

Her smile faded on her lips as a thought struck her.

"But it shouldn't be possible. Even 'Kashi can only form one focal point in his body at a time. How did you make two?"

Naruto shrugged. Anko sighed.

"You just keep surprisin' us don't you brat?"

She smiled warmly after that.

"Well you certainly proved that you were a good choice! The Second Exam is gonna start soon so I just wanted to tell you what you need to do."

Naruto leaned back against his elbows and gave his ex-Sensei his full attention.

"All I need you to do, is the exact same thing you did to 'Kashi's brats. Just go in there and lay some traps and that sort of thing. Do your best to make their lives hell without killin' them, got it?"

He saluted.

"Sure thing Anko-nee!"

She tried to slap his head again but he leaned back and the tips of her fingers whistled past his face.

"Stop doin' that!"

"Alright, but you might wanna get your hair cut some time soon."

Anko looked at him curiously.

"What? Why?!"

He chuckled raucously and took off for Training Ground 44. Anko pulled out a Kunai and checked her reflection in the sun. The hair above her right ear was burnt completely off, a product of the Railgun technique he'd almost blasted her with. She screamed in anger and took off after him. Unfortunately, she wouldn't find him until after the Second Test and by then she would have other things on her plate to worry about.

Things she'd rather forget.

XXXXXXX

Kakashi sighed as he perched on the edge of a lumpy grey sofa in the lounge provided for the Jounin Sensei of the Genin teams currently taking the First Test. He propped his orange novel against his knees and continued to stare at the page even though his mind was far from comprehending the neatly printed words.

Shisui's predicament was heavy on his mind, the words he'd said to Naruto that morning kept replaying over and over again like a mantra. Naruto was their source of strength, the thing that bound them together like the mini-family that they had become. Now that one of their number was missing, he had come to fully appreciate the role that his Sensei's legacy played in his life. It was unfathomable to think that he'd let anyone in, to look back now and find that not just one, but three people had broken through the exterior he had built after leaving his ANBU mask behind. At the time he had felt that he would never be able to atone for the sins he had committed, the lives he had rent asunder and stolen from the destroyed bodies in groups. He would have committed suicide if he didn't feel so strongly against it; his father had died like that and he could never bring himself to sully the Hatake name once again.

So he had pushed onwards, projecting an exterior of distance and eccentricity, burying his feelings behind a snarky attitude and snide comments. Naruto had broken through it so fast; he'd try to keep himself away from the boy, but the connection he shared with him as he was born only amplified over time.

And now he was left feeling the same pain again, the feelings he'd sworn to never allow into his life if he could help it.

A small boom shook the ground below their feet shaking Kakashi from his thoughts. Kurenai gasped softly and turned to Sarutobi Asuma who was sitting beside her.

"What's going on in there?"

Asuma shrugged lethargically and puffed on the cigarette perched between his lips.

"Some Genin probably got rowdy and Ibiki dealt with them."

Kakashi shut his book with an audible snap and slouched to his feet just before the Sandaime swept into the room behind a group of off-duty Jounin.

"Oyaji, what's up?"

Sarutobi frowned at his son for breaking protocol but magnanimously answered the question.

"It seems Morino-san is having a few...ah, problems I guess you could call it. But we have something more important to discuss. Asuma, please close the door."

The bearded Jounin complied slowly and Sarutobi looked around with slight apprehension.

"Where are all the Jounin Sensei from the allied Countries?"

Kakashi shrugged uncaringly as he placed his book back into his utility pouch. The Sandaime sighed and turned to face all three as Asuma took up his position beside Kurenai.

"Well I guess that makes this faster then. I will not beat about the bush. We may have a war on our hands very soon, as soon as the third exam in fact."

All playfulness immediately disappeared. Asuma and Kakashi straightened considerably whilst Kurenai, a more recent addition to the Jounin ranks, gazed at her leader confused.

"What do you mean Hokage-Sama?"

Sarutobi paced to the sofa and sat down slowly; aiming himself towards the bench the other three were sitting on. He clasped his hands under his chin and peered over the top of his knuckles.

"Recent intelligence reports have hinted at some underground movements for a while now. We're not sure where they're coming from or even who they are...you remember the traitor incident from six years ago?"

Kakashi nodded slowly; he'd been the overseeing commander of that particular mission although the on-site instruction had been left to his direct subordinate Uchiha Itachi. It was the same one that caused Naruto's abrupt change in personality after having witnessed a typical ANBU assassination right on the doorstep of his home. It was Sarutobi's biggest mistake when dealing with Konoha's resident pariah; the blond should never have had to witness something like that as a civilian. It was also partially his fault for suggesting Naruto's involvement in the guise of a test. He sorely regretted bringing that up now.

"The mission code was FC2792, it's classified under level 3 so you two should be able to read it in the archives if you need to. That's not the point I wish to make though. We've known something was up for a long time, but it seems that we have Orochimaru on our hands. Knowing him, he is unlikely to try something small, so we're expecting something in the third test. I want you three to stay on your guard and report anything that might prove useful to us. Is that clear?"

The three saluted and Hiruzen turned to address Kakashi again.

"And where is Maito-san? Shouldn't he be here?"

Kakashi shrugged before answering.

"Maaa, he said something about running and the flames of youth."

Sarutobi sighed. Was it just him or were all his elites muddled in the head? Another boom shook the building and a crack spider-webbed on the wall to the right.

"Is he testing them or killing them?"

Asuma grinned at the bandage-clad Kunoichi.

"This is Ibiki we're talking about. I'd say both."

XXXXXXX

The sun had just about set when Anko burst through the window of room 301 in the Shinobi Academy. Her banner unfurled beautifully and the entire entrance was flawless in her opinion. She didn't care what Ibiki thought about it because as far as she was concerned, it portrayed her as the wily and devilish Kunoichi she actually was. She shouted her name out for all to hear declaring herself the Second Examiner and that they shouldn't be cocky just because they'd passed the First Exam. It was then that she paused.

"Hey! Where's Ibiki?!"

The examinees sweat-dropped and a pudgy girl from Kumo pointed at the floor to her left. Anko glanced where she indicated and almost had a heart attack.

"OI IBIKI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN' DOWN THERE?!"

He was splayed out on his stomach with his trademark hitai-ate absent from the grisly remains of a previous tenure as a prisoner. His head was turned to the side, his cheek pressed against the cold laminate flooring common to the entire building. His single visible eye was vacant, leaking tears from the side and a pool of dribble spread from under his chin. He mumbled something intelligible and if Anko didn't think that a Jounin level Shinobi being incapacitated in such a way said bad things about whoever attacked him, she probably would have started shouting it out to the whole of the Village's population by now.

That said, she couldn't help taking a leaf from her youngest friend's book; the camera flashed a few times as she danced around his prone body in glee.

"Alright you guys! What happened in here?"

A peaky, pale-white boy with straight black hair spoke up quietly.

"The proctor collapsed a few minutes ago..."

Anko giggled into her hand and the Chuunin hopefuls stared at her in disbelief. It was almost as if she took glle in what had happened...

"IZUMO, KOTETSU!"

Two of the Chuunin helpers stood up immediately from their chairs facing the centre at the right side of the room. Unfortunately for Izumo, he was sitting right below the latch of the wide window stretching across his side of the room. He promptly bonked his head and fell over dazed. Anko palmed her face in disgust.

"Who promoted that guy again?! Argh, forget it! Kotetsu, has the time for the first exam finished?"

Kotetsu nodded as he bent to pick up his best friends body. He looked down sympathetically as Izumo attempted to regain his balance.

"Alright, since Ibiki is....whatever the hell happened to him, we'll say that everyone here passes. Get your butts over to Training Ground 44. That's where the Second Exam will take place! Get to it!"

Anko turned to leave but paused momentarily, glancing down at the fanatical interrogation specialist. She wouldn't get another chance like this so she bent down and pulled out a bag of Omni-Paint capsules that Naruto had left for her 'just in case she needed it' for the Second Exam. Emptying the whole load over the man's face, she made a few handseals and spat out a small spout of water. It immediately mixed with the grey balls and flashed before settling on a variety of colours from the rainbow. Satisfied, she pulled out her camera again and snapped a few more pictures before adding a kick for good measure. She then leapt onto the same window she had come barrelling into the room from and turned to regard the empty classroom.

Except it wasn't empty, in fact the Genin hadn't moved. They were all staring at her like she had two heads.

"What?! Don't tell me you guys would miss a chance like this?! Now get goin'!"

She jumped away quickly.

XXXXXXXX

Team Samui stood to attention in front of their leader in full battle gear. In stark contrast to their protocol, the eight-tails Jinchuuriki, Killer Bee, stood performing some weird kind of rapping dance next to them and to his right stood the last of the elites, Nii Yugito. Bee's brother, the tenacious Raikage stood in front of them, his huge form towering over even his brother himself.

"Right you maggots! We have to head for the Chuunin Exam Finals at Konoha in four weeks and you wimps will be comin' with me! Got it?!"

Four nods met his scowling visage. The other not so nice.

"What's in it for me? Didn't you have to pee?"

Five heads turned in his direction. Three hands grasped swords with audible clicks.

"BEE, SHUT THE HELL UP! I WENT TO THE TOILET FIVE TIMES ALREADY!"

Omoi coughed into his free hand as he released the other from the hilt of his blade.

"Err, Raikage-Sama....you been havin' some Diuretic problems lately?"

He lurched forward as Karui punched his back.

"OW! What the hell was that for?!"

"SHUT UP OMOI! YOU ALWAYS OVERTHINK THINGS!"

"A little C4, knockin' at your door!"

Three swords touched brown skin and Bee gulped.

"OK, I'll shut up."

The Raikage grunted at the stupidity of his Shinobi. And they called themselves elites...

"Well I'm only going to say this once: The Breaking Wind is there and I want to see what he's been up to all these years."

Omoi's eyes widened.

"The Breaking Wind?! What the hell kinda nickname is that?! It sounds like 'Fart' to me!"

SMACK!

"OW!!!"

"I thought I told you to shut up?!"

Yugito sighed heavily and Samui began massaging her shoulders. These guys made her stiff.

"EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU'RE DISMISSED! AND BEE, STOP ACTING LIKE A FREAKIN' SALAMANDER IN MY OFFICE!"

Bee stopped mid-dance.

"Ahhh bro, you're so slow! You're cruisin' for a bruisin'!"

He yelped and pelted for the door with three swords following after him. Samui raised her head to the heavens.

Why were all the Shinobi of Kaminari no Kuni so crazy?!

ZZZZZZZ

Alrighty, chapter 35 all wrapped up and ready to go! I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays and here's a little thing to brighten your day! Kumo's comin' to Konoha so watch out all you rappers! Things go'n go not so glow!

*ahem!*

Chapter Notes:

Railgun Jutsu: For the readers who know a bit about railgun is the most well known application of Newton and Lenz's law of electro-magnetic acceleration. A system can continue to accelerate if opposing poles attract and repel at the same time. This concept is used in Linear Accelerators around the world; some of the more famous ones would include CERN and the LHC (Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland). The Railgun or Gauss Rifle is a concept derived from this theory as a weapon to minimise the use of gunpowder in weapons. It has remained as merely a concept; the size and energy required to power something on that scale is unfeasible at this time.

Doku-Jutsu: Literal translation 'Poison Technique'. Shizune uses one of these, the 'Doku Giri' on Kabuto during the Sannin fight of the first season.

Kaminari no Kuni: Literal translation 'Lightning Country'.

Review count was really disappointing last chapter. I struggled to get over 30 and I know it was probably because Kyle went and update 'Here and Now' right before me. It stands to reason that people will go and review that over mine but meh...a loser like me can't try to be something other than the amateur he is...

So read and review people! All reviews are read and replied to!

MegaB, signin' out!


	36. Chapter 36

Yo all! Welcome to the explosive thirty-sixth instalment of K:NP! If this one doesn't blow you out of the water, I have no idea what will!

Monstrous Chapter aside, Review Highlights go to luckykas (Can't take Shisui, his body is of no use, and yes, Gaara poked sand into Ibiki's head!), Tenari for a really inspirational one, Eternal Thief for showing real enthusiasm, Akitesyu for just being you, Obsi (He grabbed them with his sand and chucked them at Ibiki, that's why he got hit), Ageant for asking 'What the heck is 'Here and Now'?!', LookThereIsAPigFlyingInTheSky for the name (LOL!), My Uzo for completely misinterpreting what I meant by 'the holes' (GOD! It's so awkward just mentioning that you know?!), deathmachine2 for saying I'm as good as KyLewin, anothvortex for an awesome idea I'm borrowing for this chapter, Joshua The Evil Guy for saying my story is officially better than Perfect Lionheart's 'Chuunin Exam Day' and finally TenguTie for catching the Red Alert 2 reference last chapter.

Also, for those that wanted to know, the Railgun scene was inspired by the recent anime 'To aru Majutsu no index'. It's great, go watch!

ZZZZZZZ

'_Ryu-Zashi....Check!......Utility Pouch.....Check!......Explosive Notes.....Check!.......Omni-Paint......Check!.....OK, anything else?'_

Naruto examined the inventory of items he thought he would require in the Forest of Death. Anko had taken him there many times over the past two years and so he was familiar with all the lurking threats hidden around every corner. His job was to increase those dangers a hundred-fold and sit back to watch the fireworks. It kind of reminded him of his excursions into Akimichi territory all those years ago.

He grinned at the thought, pulling his Airboard onto his back and tightening the criss-crossing straps that held it in place. He tucked his sheathed Ryu-Zashi into the gaps provided by the straps and tilted the hilts so that they poked above his shoulder blades. Looking down, he grasped a brace of Shuriken and dropped them into his pouch followed by a bunch of Kunai that were flipped expertly and slipped them into the hang-holds provided at the top of the pack. Closing the pouch, he patted it down to make sure it wouldn't impede his movement and then picked up a few coins just in case he ran into trouble. The Explosive Notes were rolled up and pushed into a belt around his waist along with a couple of balloons and a spool of Ninja Wire wrapped around a plastic ring. He picked up the last item on his rickety wooden table; it was a packet of Grade A Rubber. He didn't know what he could use it for and as he stared at it, he considered whether he should take it along with him. The only thing he'd ever used it for was the TSS and he hadn't really had a chance to use the 'Amusement Ride' for quite a while now. He always stocked up on the stuff for when Higurashi-san was out on an errand and so it wouldn't hurt to take it along.

'_Wait a second.....the TSS! THAT'S IT!!! I can set up a trap that chucks them around the forest! That's genius!'_

He cackled gleefully and stood up. He picked up a long, thin piece of white cloth and tied it around his forehead to keep his hair out of his eyes. He knotted it at the back and tightened it with both hands.

It was time to ROCK!

XXXXXXX

TenTen looked up at the _huge_ Oak trees with slight trepidation. Trees can't naturally grow that big and Training Arena 44 seemed to have grown them as a mainstay plant!

"ALRIGHT YOU GUYS! EVERYONE GATHER ROUND!"

The prospective Chuunin muttered to themselves as they formed a rough circle around the proctor of the Second Exam, her back facing the main entrance to the fenced-off Practise Arena. The noise died down as they waited for her to speak.

Anko took a rough headcount before starting her diatribe. Their numbers would dwindle fast when they got in there; inexperience with the environment and Naruto's well-hidden traps would see to that. She was expecting downwards of 16 contestants to actually reach that far but since they were in teams of three, a maximum of five teams.

"Welcome to Practise Arena forty-four, otherwise known as The Forest of Death!"

A few teams began discussing the name among themselves and Anko smirked inwardly. For Genin, the terrain was perilous on its own. Add Naruto to it and you get a potential disaster on your hands. It was the effect she had been going for ever since the Sandaime had asked her to formulate the testing process for the first of the bi-annual Exams. It wasn't a privilege she treasured especially, it was just that it gave her room to do whatever she wanted and she'd be stupid to let something like that go.

Scaring wet-behind-the-ears Shinobi was a sport to even the most seasoned veterans.

"You'll soon find out why it's named the way it is, but first I want everyone to sign these papers before I explain the rules!"

She held up the consent forms that would release her from any responsibility should some of the Genin die. It wasn't her problem and from the looks of things, there were some teams from an assortment of countries that just wanted to eliminate the competition before actually completing the exam. She would worry about her ex-protégé if she didn't know he could handle himself; there was nothing these guys could do that would surprise the Jinchuuriki and his motley crew of Sensei could attest to that.

She explained to the candidates why they would die, what the test was about and how they could complete their tasks. One of the fat Akimichis asked about where they would find food and she replied that they'd have to think on their feet. It was a ten kilometre run from the forty-four gates to the tower at the centre. Their objective was a standard task that any Chuunin would be expected to handle. Retrieve a scroll whilst protecting your own and do it within a certain amount of time. It wasn't particularly difficult but the obstacles on the way were the things that would test both their teamwork and their individual skills. If Naruto was thinking along the same lines as her, she snickered in her mind because she knew he was, they would have a hell of a time getting to the tower!

She glanced around as she finished her instructions and the Genin moved off in their teams to submit their forms, collect their scrolls and move to the designated gates. They would also be expected to traverse a river and many of them wouldn't know water-walking. She shook her head ruefully. She was beginning to think that Naruto was on these amateurs' level by default. He was so young yet so strong. If ever she needed proof that he was her and her Jounin friends' equal, it was right in front of her now.

"Oh, I just remembered! Before you start, if you see a blond-haired, blue-eyed knucklehead in there...he's part of the exam so you'll have to deal with him too! Feel free to use as much force as you want and tell him I said 'Hi!'."

A whistle blew and the gates sprang open. In a rush of air and a shout of instructions by the team leaders, the Genin disappeared into the darkened greenery famously associated to The Forest of Death. Anko sighed in contentment and made her way to the examiners booth.

"Oi, Izumo, I'm gonna be in the main room. I'll wait about 24 hours before heading to the tower so you dolts better not drift off! And don't disturb me!"

Izumo nodded quickly and punched his best friend who was falling asleep beside him. Kotetsu snorted and punched him in the nose, the former falling from his seat and grasping at the bleeding part of his noggin. Anko chuckled as she pushed open the door to her booth before closing and locking it behind her. No-one could see her doing this or the Sandaime would have her head.

Nodding in satisfaction, she pulled the Hokage's seeing-ball from under her trenchcoat and set it on the rough wooden bench set to one side of the cabin. Smirking, she placed her right hand on the smooth glass surface and channelled her Chakra into the fine seals carved into the orb, so intricately and carefully that they could not be seen with the naked eye. She whispered her blond friend's name and watched as his form morphed into view.

It had taken her a while to work out how the seeing-ball worked. At first she couldn't get it to display anything she wanted and then in a fit of disappointment she'd said one of her friend's names and unconsciously channelled Chakra into it whilst she held it in her palm. She was shocked to find the glass sphere glowing and upon second glance, she'd spied Kakashi splayed out on his sleeping bag with his head squelched into a head roll full of Omni-Paint. She laughed really hard later, but at the time she was too elated about the dratted thing working in the first place.

Naturally, after her initial success, she'd taken it with her on the mission to Wave in case it would turn out useful to their objective. She'd attempted to view the Village and its surroundings before they'd reached there by using the same method but it hadn't worked. Upon camping on the outskirts of Nami no Kuni she'd tried again, this time attempting to see her apartment in Konoha but to no avail. She'd given up after that and when they'd become engaged in the battle with the ex-Iwa-nin, she'd again tried to locate Naruto when he and Taka had taken off to fulfil their last objective of destroying the base. To her surprise, it had reacted instantly, leading her to believe that there was some kind of distance variable to how far you could see. This time she was right outside the forest so assuming that old Sarutobi was able to spy on the whole Village from his office, she should have no problem monitoring Naruto antics in the forest.

Of course, she could simply head to the tower and watch as the Genin arrived but the surveillance cameras didn't cover the forest and so she wouldn't be able to see the fireworks from her office.

She grinned widely as she sat down lightly on the bench and leaned back on her arms. She had a show to watch!

XXXXXXXX

"_There are three rules of engagement that nearly all Shinobi follow. If you stick to 'em, chances are you're gonna win. If you know them but don't necessarily wanna use them then at least you can try to predict how the other guy's gonna move. We'll test it out in a bit but I'll let Shisui take over; he's better at this stuff than I am!"_

_Anko dropped onto her butt and placed one palm on her chin as Shisui pushed off from his resting position at the side of a tree._

"_Alrighty! As Anko said, the Rules of engagement are three:_

_Number One: Always make a clone before getting into a fight!"_

_He grinned and spun in a full circle, his hands flashing up to form seals and resting on an unfamiliar cross-shaped formation._

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

_With a small pop, an identical replica of the teenage Uchiha appeared next to him. Naruto sat up further as he stared at the body incredulously._

"_EEEEH?! There's two of you?! Anko-nee, we'd better get rid of one! One's more than enough!"_

_Anko snickered into her hand and Kakashi, who sat with his back against the very same tree Shisui had been leaning on with his legs spread in front of him and his orange novel in front of his face, oddly seemed to be reading by placing his forehead on the page and causing his body to shudder._

"_OI! Stop laughing! It's not that funny! And Kakashi, I don't see how you can even do that, you hypocrite!"_

_Anko guffawed loudly and sat back with her arms supporting her weight. Shisui schooled his expression and popped the clone in a cloud of smoke._

"_Anyway, there are quite a few variations of clones and I know you can do the Bunshin, right?"_

_Naruto's eyes widened and his face became red._

"_W-W-W-W-Wai-Wait just a sec! What do you mean?! Why'd I need to do the Bunshin?!"_

_The air became very still._

"_You can't do the Bunshin?"_

_Naruto hid his eyes behind his knees._

"_Ooooookaaaaaaaaaaaay.....moving on! Right, so the second RoE is to make loads of unnecessary movements to see how good your opponent is, FOR INSTANCE....hmm...."_

_Shisui grew shifty eyes as if he had a devious plan of some sort. A small, evil grin grew on his lips._

"_Heh...KAKASHI! BEHIND YOU!"_

_Kakashi 'hmmed' and didn't budge an inch. Naruto cracked up at the failure of an attempt to divert attention. Shisui looked downcast..._

_With a wet sucking noise, the copy-ninja was pulled floundering into the ground as a pair of hands grabbed at his ankles. At the last minute, he twisted, driving a knife-hand strike into the wrists of the offending appendages and flipped out of the small hole. He glared with his single eye at the Uchiha whistling nonchalantly in front of Anko and Naruto._

"_AHAHA! YOU THOUGHT I COULDN'T GET YA' HUH?! I know you far too well Sem-Pai!"_

_Kakashi growled and turned his back._

"_As you can see, Kakashi's a close-quarters specialist. He's also proficient in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu so there aren't many faults in his skills. If that was a real fight, he'd probably be dead right now. Moving on, the third and final RoE is the most vital. When you've pegged the opponent at a specific skill level, you move in with the big guns. Usually I just off them with a multi-layered Genjutsu because not many people can escape from them anyway, but if you go up against a superior fighter....don't waste your time...."_

"_Pull out the most powerful Jutsu right away and pray that it's enough to get them..."_

Naruto rubbed at his eyes; they were stinging but he refused to think they were tears. He shook his head and smiled widely. There was no way that he'd be depressed now! Too much was at stake! He observed the team of Waterfall Ninja as they approached the southern edge of the forest. It was closest to the start of the river and it seemed like they had the sense to follow the body of water till they hit the tower at the centre. It was a good plan and probably would have worked...

If Naruto hadn't been there.

One of the Genin, a fragile-looking boy with a large pack on his back stepped on the trip wire hidden underneath a root poking above the surface of the ground. His teammates froze at the noise but he wasn't so lucky.

"What the-"

With a 'TWANG!' a loop of wire swung out from the treetops and wrapped around his bicep neatly. The struggling Shinobi was pulled bodily off his feet and swung three hundred and sixty degrees around the tree before the wire snapped like a whip-crack. The unfortunate youth was sent flying above the canopy as easily as a bird.

Naruto burst out laughing from his vantage point; that was too good! The looks on his teammates' faces were just gold!

The female of the group, a green-haired, graceful Kunoichi, whipped around at the noise. With a signal, the two fled into the water of the river approaching from one of the entrances of the Training Ground.

Naruto couldn't stop laughing! They thought the water would help them?! Oh God! This was too much!

He was laughing so hard that he could barely form the seal required to activate the characters etched into the river bank. With a hiss, the water cooled to frigid temperatures within seconds. There was a loud scream followed by two thumps; those two wouldn't be getting up for a while and they wouldn't be able to proceed without their third teammate anyway. He'd tortured them enough for now.

Still laughing like a hyena on crack, he jumped off to find his next target.

XXXXXXX

"OSSSU! TenTen! How does it look up there?"

TenTen's eyes bugged out of her head as a body came flying above the trees, missing her head by inches. Her panda-buns whipped around from the breakneck wind that followed in the person's wake. That was definitely the TSS! She'd had a strange foreboding thought in her head when the proctor had mentioned a 'blond-haired, blue-eyed' someone in the forest but this just answered her question.

'_W-Whoa....'_

Naruto had modified one of the craziest amusement rides in the history of mankind for a....trap. In a way, she thought, it settled an age-old question that she'd been dying to answer. If Naruto ever had the motivation to become a Konoha Shinobi, he'd take the world by storm.

Then again, he was already doing that wasn't he?

"TENTEN?!"

The weapons-mistress slid down the rough bark with a far-off look on her face. Her two teammates glanced at each other curiously before Lee stepped up beside her.

"TenTen, how was i-"

"Naruto's in the forest."

Lee paused mid-question.

"Lee, Neji, I'd advise you to watch your step VERY CAREFULLY from now on."

Lee grinned and pushed his right leg forward, smacking the fist of his left hand into the tree and raising his right in a one-handed salute.

"How bad can it be? WITH THE FLAMES OF YOUTH WE SHALL OVERCOME ANY OBSTA-"

CRACK!

Lee was sent airborne by a particularly vicious tree log that just happened to swing from the overhanging branches. TenTen froze and glanced around slowly; the whole place was infested with traps and if she knew Naruto, they were hidden in just the places that you would think they weren't. You had to place yourself in a weird opposite perspective to have a chance of getting out unscathed and so TenTen began looking for places she would usually consider as safe. Neji simply frowned and walked away. That idiot was going to get himself caught up in something because of his debilitating arrogance.

How the hell did he modify the TSS for that purpose anyway?! She really hoped he didn't have any of his other...amusement rides hidden away in this place; it was scary enough with all the massive bugs around.

They'd scouted around for a team to hunt, one that would preferably hold the scroll that they needed to end the exam. It had been about three hours since the start of the exam and so they still had nearly all of the five days allotted to them. TenTen glanced over as Neji groaned and palmed his face.

"That _idiot_...alright, since Lee decided to act up at the most inopportune of moments, we'll split up and see if we can find a scroll ourselves. Meet back here before midnight."

Neji tossed a Kunai into the ground to mark their position and then jumped off. TenTen's eyes widened as she looked in the direction he was heading in.

"Neji! Watch out-"

SPLAT!

"...for the trap wire..."

Neji slammed head-first into a wall of goo suspended in the air by two thin pieces of Shinobi wire. The wobbling mass of grey glowed slightly before sucking the proud Hyuuga into its slimy clutches. Neji struggled, but only managed to pull his head from the deluge.

"This was Uzumaki's fault wasn't it?! THIS WAS THAT TRASH'S FAULT!"

"Neji, I don't think this is the time...uh oh."

The monster jelly began to glow again and TenTen had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wouldn't end well! Before anything could happen, she turned and dashed away. There was no way in hell that she'd stay to be caught in one of her friend's dastardly repulsive pranks.

"TENTEN HOW DARE YOU ABANDON MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....."

The proud Hyuuga was left red-faced with his hair on fire once again. How was he meant to know that this....this tower of jelly was capable of setting itself alight?! He was going to _murder_ that blond when he saw him next!

Naruto cackled high up in the trees. He didn't even need to intervene this time! Team 9 were a bunch of practical jokers....apart from TenTen of course. He slipped away quietly, looking for his next set of victims.

XXXXXXX

A certain Hebi-Sannin was not having a good day. He'd infiltrated the Chuunin Exams so smoothly, murdering a team of Genin without lifting a finger, that it had given him a false sense of victory before he'd even begun the real mission. He thought ruefully that maybe his arrogance wasn't such a good thing after all even if he actually deserved the higher position than the other disposable incompetents that swarmed the Ninja ranks these days.

It had been smooth sailing and it wasn't even as if the security was tight. When he'd hit the Forest of Death though...things went from good to bad to worse. His hair was in tatters, his tongue coated with dried blood and his clothes ripped and damaged all over. He snarled under his breath; this stunk of a certain blond twerp and if he even caught a hint of him being here...

He cursed as he was forced to leap aside, this time to avoid a beanpole that appeared to have some weird type of liquid dripping off the end. It looked foul, a mixture of bogey-greens and the most off-colour yellow he'd seen short of putrid vomit. His foot twitched and he felt another trip wire give way. He darted away as fast as he could only to run afoul of a puddle of sticky goo. In horror, his head shot upwards to see a massive ball of _something_ descending on his head.

'_Not again...'_

With an unsatisfying 'PLOP!' the thin material burst all over him releasing a pungent glue all over the top of his head. By this time he'd finally managed to rid himself of the sticky substance below his feet and so he jumped clear before the net of leaves obviously placed to cover the unfortunate victim from head-to-toe, could spread on him. He licked his lips tasting the acidic glue solidifying; someone was going to die as soon as he got out of here and chances were that it'd be a big bunch of leaf-nin.

Snarling in rage, he leapt into the tree-tops to escape the trap-riddled forest floor. His target was the youngest Uchiha, he'd considered marking one of the others but Sasuke was his safest and best bet. Shisui was unconscious, true, but he'd heard from his nation's spying efforts that the teen was paralysed from the arms down.

'_Wasteful...'_

He caught a tree branch under his palms and swung under it fluidly. His body stretched and twisted, a perfect example of all things snake. Landing quietly, he scanned the forest floor, locating his prey with his slit amber eyes as if searching for his latest tasty morsel. Checking for any traps, he slid to the ground and melted into the mud like a drop of water in a pond.

"...separated next time, even if it's one of us, don't trust them. This could happen again."

Orochimaru mouth stretched slowly into a predatory grin. So _cute_, little Genin thinking that they're so clever. He couldn't wait to sink his claws into Itachi's little brother! The Sharingan was his ultimate goal, but why not have a little fun at the same time? He might as well indulge himself after having to avoid countless traps that were soaking up his patience like a sponge.

"We'll make a password just in case. Listen, if they get the password wrong, assume that they're the enemy no matter what they look like."

The pale, black haired boy squatting next to his pink-haired counterpart frowned ever so slightly.

"Even if their di-"

"SHUT UP SAI!"

Said Genin was slammed into the ground courtesy of a fist to the head. His female teammate rubbed her sore knuckles as she glared down at him.

"What the hell do you think we're going to be doing you pervert?! Do YOU rip peoples' pants off just to check that?!"

Sai made a sort of squeaking noise from the mud hole he was struggling to raise himself from. Orochimaru felt slightly entertained; he could sit here and watch them make fools of themselves but he didn't want to get caught by a random patrol because of a hasty decision. He'd have to take them out and mark the Uchiha right away. Sighing melodramatically, he began the seals for a Fuuton: Daitoppa.

XXXXXXX

Naruto was having a great time. He'd run into an assortment of teams during his escapades in the Training Ground. His particular favourite was watching the Sand Siblings defeat an older team of Mist-nin before Gaara left them hanging from a tree in their underwear. He'd almost busted a gut when he'd dropped into the clearing to see if he could add anything only to find every hole in their bodies plugged with sand. A mouthful of the dusty granules was enough to leave you feeling sick for a few days. And he would know too, from experience.

Another of his favourites which had caused him to reveal his position but had given him another dastardly idea, was one of the pre-rigged rafts he'd made before hand floating on the surface of the river. He'd inked some seals to mimic his old Chakra-Surfing ride onto the wood and then left them there to see if anyone would be brave enough to try it.

The results had been comical at best.

A trio of Konoha Genin, Team 10 if he could recall correctly, stole onto three of them in an attempt to ambush an opposing team further up the river. He heard something along the lines of 'troublesome' before they'd been sent shooting off downstream with screams tearing from their throats. The fat Akimichi (He'd almost fallen over whilst remembering his first ever prank on the clan of culinary experts) had dropped his packet of crisps on the floor and so Naruto had nabbed it as he watched the antics of the three.

He was sure they didn't mind a free ride though!

He almost fell over as he remembered his latest stunt. He'd gone looking for fights and took to stealing as many scrolls as he could. He'd collected quite a large pile and with the Genin trying to pursue him, he'd sought out a flat clearing and went about building a large pyramid of the precious items. Just as he'd completed his work of art, the myriad of three-man squads from every country on the map had burst into the clearing.

He held his gut as he remembered the looks on their faces as he'd cheerfully lit the pyramid on fire with a quick Karyuu Endan.

He whistled a tune as he sprang from branch-to-branch, his feet barely touching the surface as he soared through the trees. The wind whipped through his hair and buffeted his streamlined form; it was almost as good as flying on his Airboard, but nothing could be truly like the experience of riding on the clouds with the sun shining above a vista of endless swirly white. It was a glorious sight, one that he would never forget. He lived for these days, days when he could forget his troubles simply by doing something fun or stupid. It was the easiest escape and something he treasured above all else.

The Genin would beg to differ.

He paused as a low rumble drifted through the trees followed by a small, localised earthquake. Grinning widely, he sprang to the highest tree in his vicinity to witness another of his traps triggering to the south-western area of the Training Ground. In a spectacular show of smoke, terrified fleeing birds and a storm of leaves, a long row of trees, purposefully rigged with exploding notes and a host of other nefarious contraptions, toppled over in a frightening gauntlet of falling Oaks. Naruto winced as a shrill scream drifted on the wind from that direction. Naruto didn't envy them; it'd be hard to focus on getting the hell out of there whilst fighting a battle and avoiding the falling foliage all over the place. The leaves, smoke and dirt thrown up by the ensuing chaos would create a pretty effective smokescreen and the candidates caught in the crossfire would have a difficult time navigating through the area with that stuff hanging in the air.

He was cunningly devious, if he did say so himself!

XXXXXXXX

Uchiha Sasuke could only look up in shock as the great Oak trees of Konoha's infamous Forest of Death came crashing down upon him. Someone had the stupidest idea to use a wide-area affect Wind Jutsu even though the entire forest was riddled with the most bizarre and dangerous traps he'd ever had the misfortune to encounter. That person was either very arrogant or very very stupid.

Sakura and Sai had been separated from him in the tumult. Sai had been on the receiving end of most of the gust and Sakura had anchored herself to the leafy floor about a hundred metres south of the clearing. Sasuke had simply ducked and caught the side of a tree with a glowing palm of Chakra. Kakashi may have been the laziest Genin Sensei in the world but at least what he taught was useful.

The youngest Uchiha yelped and sprang hastily into a forward roll as a HUGE tree-trunk slammed down directly behind him. He physically felt his bones vibrating from the force and his teeth chattered in the thundering boom of heavy wood impacting with solid earth. Wood splinters and mud was thrown upwards, coating every inch of his body and he was forced to shield his face with his arms as a variety of projectiles, both solid and semi-solid bounced off his torso. He held his breath as he sprinted through the cloud of muck; that crazy proctor wasn't joking when she'd told them that they'd find out why Training Arena 44 had gained the nickname it had. This place was crazy! He just hoped his two teammates had the sense to avoid the hazardous environment throughout the ordeal as it wouldn't do to set something else off whilst struggling to get through their current predicament.

Sasuke dived to his right to avoid a falling branch, his midnight-blue T-Shirt snagging on the side of a rosemary bush. He dropped flat on the ground as something whizzed over his head in a shower of vegetation. He was about to stand once more in his attempt to get out of the exploding scenery when he heard a gruff curse and the sound of bark splintering under a fist. His eyes widened as a long-haired Grass-nin stumbled out of a bush, his hair sticking up at odd angles and his face covered in what looked like dried glue. Sasuke would have laughed if the world wasn't a traumatic experience at that point; he could hardly think with his senses blaring under the sheer pandemonium that was erupting all around him.

Unfortunately, the tree behind him chose that moment to explode in a fiery tornado of flaming fuel. Sasuke couldn't hold the scream in his throat this time, and so he ditched all effort to remain hidden and unabashedly dashed as fast as he could through the clearing to avoid the falling limb. The top of the tree barely missed his head and he was pelted with the embers and ash as the gigantic plant thundered into the ground. A shout tore from his throat as he threw himself to the ground once more, this time to put out the small fire that had started at the hem of his shirt.

When he eventually pushed himself to his feet, the Taki-nin was glaring at him strangely.

"Well....I suppose the situation is....suitable, is it not...._Sasuke-kun_?"

Said Uchiha's eyes widened in shock. How did this guy know what his name was? His voice came out in a scratchy, drawling rasp and the male's tongue flicked out to wet his lips in the sweltering flames burning around them. Sasuke almost retched at the oral extremity; it was long and slimy, the very picture of a reptile just without the fork in the middle. The man reached up and pulled down the lower lid of his right eye.

"Because prey should always run from the predator!"

It hit him like a sledgehammer. A feeling so rapidly focused that it only took a moment to reduce him to a husk of the proud Genin he was. The rage and madness, the intent to kill, the murderous objective; it was then that he realised just how strong this man was. He wasn't a Genin, he was far beyond that level and had been for a long time. Sasuke's blood froze in his veins by that small glance; his iris dilated and contracted three, four, five times within the span of a few seconds. His eyeballs shook, the pressure too great to withstand.

And then he saw it.

At first it had been a feeling, an emotion, a fear so primal that he could only cower from it. But in that instant, it grew and formed something so different. With a flash of colour he felt himself kneeling before the long-haired Taki-nin, his head bowed and the man's fist raised above his neck with a Kunai clenched firmly within his curled fingers. He suddenly felt clammy, sweaty and grimy, yet he was cold, so very cold, as if he'd been plunged into a fire and then into a block of ice in quick succession. The image flashed again, this time the edge of the Kunai slipped through solid bone at the front of his Cranium, rippling through the soft muscle like a hot knife through butter. Lodging into the grey matter of his brain, the end of his life-

'_NO! Genjutsu?!....No....it's something else....He just wants to kill me, that's all!'_

The world warped around him, stretching into an abstract medley of colours and shapes before returning to reality. His mind reeled from the sensation; he felt nauseous, the bile lodging at the back of his throat but not quite enough for him to throw out. He slowly looked up to find the Taki-nin scrutinising him, his left hand held up with a Kunai prepped to throw against a backdrop of burning forest. He was suffocating under the pressure of this man-no, this _monster's_ killing intent, all the while standing within a raging inferno of overpowering smoke and smog.

"Oh? So you can fight a little? I would expect no less from Itachi's little brother."

Sasuke snarled within his mind. Who cared about that murdering traitor anyway?! He was going to live and he was going to show the world that the Uchiha would regain their name and prestige in the laurels of Hi no Kuni once again.

"Unfortunate. It seems as though your life ends here, little Uchiha."

Sasuke watched in slow motion as the Grass-nin's hand flicked in his direction. The Kunai flew forth, its aim true.

'_....no.....I won't die here, I can't....For Shisui and for Kaa-san....'_

His hand twitched, the rest of his body unmoving.

'_Move.'_

It began to move, inching ever so slowly towards his utility pouch strapped to his right hip.

'_Move!'_

His hand shuddered and he almost stopped forcing against the Jutsu that was binding him.

'_MOVE!'_

In one jerky movement, he ripped a Kunai from his pouch and slammed it into his thigh. He almost screamed in pain but he knew he didn't have that luxury. Liquid fire ripped through his body as he ducked, pivoted and jumped for the safety of the trees, the knife barely missing the side of his neck.

The Grass-nin humphed as he tossed his hair. How disappointing. It seemed as though the youngest Uchiha didn't even have the Sharingan. What use was he then? He scowled heavily. This would damage his plans badly. Without Sasuke, the Sharingan was practically out of his reach. He would have to kill the boy now that he'd gone to so much trouble to obtain something that wasn't even there. Sighing, he took a step forward to make after his escaping prey. His stomach sank as he felt another tripwire give way beneath the soles of his feet. There was a slight fizzing sound and his neck twisted one hundred and eighty degrees to look at the sparking Explosive Note stuck to the ground directly beneath his feet. Worse yet was the Chakra Sticker Seal anchoring him to the ground. It was designed to incapacitate and the Sticker Seal was the permanent sort. He cursed as he crossed his arms and rolled himself into a ball to minimise the damage.

The explosion threw him bodily into the air and he was forced to do a sort of ungainly backward roll to absorb the force behind the contraption. The ends of his black locks were smoking and he looked beaten and battered. Uzumaki Naruto was going to die, even if he wasn't involved in all of this. The fact that the forest was bringing back those accursed memories of how his base was turned upside down by a mere 9 year old. Cursing, he hopped over a burning log and jumped into the trees after the youngest Uchiha.

Trees flashed by as he zipped through the air, his hands already flying through seals. His thumb dripped with blood as he finished the sequence, pausing on a branch to slap the rough surface to complete his Jutsu. In a great puff of smoke, a deep purple snake, almost the size of the tree it was curled around, appeared from within the fog, saliva dripping from gleaming fangs set in the gaping maw. Orochimaru's lips curled up in a cruel smile; death as food for a snake would be a fitting end for this wasted endeavour. His form melted into the snake's body seamlessly as the reptile shot forward.

XXXXXXX

"Sakura!"

Sasuke balanced on the side of a tree perilously as he searched for his female teammate. Sai could look after himself but if Sakura was caught...

No matter how much he hated her doting personality, she was still his teammate and he'd be damned if he didn't make sure she was alright.

Sasuke cursed under his breath when there was no reply from the pink-haired girl. The Second Exam had gone from bad to catastrophic. He'd had a buzzing feeling at the back of his mind ever since he'd set foot in the forest, yet he'd pushed onwards, shunting the doubts to the back of his brain until the adrenaline had worn off. That Taki-nin was far beyond a Genin's level; that Jutsu he had used...there hadn't been any handseals and it had been so powerful....powerful enough to keep him in place for almost a minute.

"_So what do you do when you fight an opponent who's far stronger than you?"_

Sasuke shook his head as he slid into a small depression high up in the trees. He eased himself into a sitting position before yanking the Kunai from his thigh harshly.

"_Sasuke, you haven't got the Sharingan yet, but I think you'll definitely activate it at some point. Itachi's was probably the strongest in the clan so I don't think it's a question of whether or not it will manifest. For the time being, we'll have to focus on compensating for it..."_

Sasuke tried to convince himself that the two tears running down his face were because of the pain from his wound and not because of his memories of his cousin.

"_That's right! You got it in one! Nice goin' Sasuke!"_

His smile...it was so radiant then, as if he were truly proud of his cousin's achievement. His memories of Itachi had become foggy, but he was sure that his brother had never looked at him like that. He vaguely wondered whether he should feel guilty for choosing his cousin over his brother. His mind became foggy, as if a veil had slipped over his eyes and he could feel the warmth of the sun bathing his closed eyelids in its glow. He could hear the wildlife screaming around him and he never stopped to think why they were so restless.

"...suke! SASUKE-KUN!"

He jerked back, startled, his arm snapping up in a defensive position. He sighed warily as he found Sakura leaning over his form albeit looking all the worse for wear.

"What happened to you?"

She shuffled her feet idly, rubbing an angry red mark on her chin that wasn't there the last time they'd seen each other. Her left arm hung slightly limp as if it had been hit with some amount of force but Sasuke didn't comment.

"The Wind Jutsu pushed me in this direction even though I tried my hardest to stop it. What's wrong with your leg? How did you get cut so bad?"

Sasuke stared at her blankly before answering in a dull voice.

"I stabbed myself."

"You- wait, what?!"

Sasuke sighed.

"Listen Sakura. We have to find Sai and get out of here as fast as we can. The Shinobi that did that Jutsu is way too strong for any of us to take on."

Sasuke glanced up toward the canopy, stray strands of light pushing their way through and striking his eyes when the breeze pushed the leaves in just the right way. He frowned when Sakura didn't answer and looked back down to see her covering her mouth, her eyes wide with terror.

"Sakura! What-"

"SASUKE-KUN! SNAKE!"

He wasted no time. He rolled to the side, pushing Sakura off the branch with his free hand whilst whipping under the bough. Flowing with the momentum, he let go and allowed the wind to take him as he sailed through the air. The snake, and it was the largest Boa Constrictor he'd seen in his life, changed direction mid-air and lunged for his airborne form. With a scream of terror, he reached into his two shuriken pouches and threw two braces directly into the vile creature's mouth.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

His aim was true and the oversized reptile keeled over dead, yellow-green blood pooling around its head as it lay awkwardly on the floor. Sasuke landed hastily, stumbling from his exertion. He panted as he looked back at the Snake; it was impossibly large, even for the Forest of Death's standards.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"

He nodded sharply without taking his eyes from the beast. A human-shaped blob began to take form as it pushed itself from the skin of the snake. It stood, and Sasuke realised that they were in deep trouble.

"You run well, my dear Sasuke-kun! Maybe there is more to you than I previously thought!"

With a strangled cry, the youngest Uchiha leapt forward, fists cocked back to deliver a deadly blow to the smug man's face. Just as he was about to strike, a black blur shot in front of him, pushing him bodily away.

"Ahhh, so you survived, young ROOT..."

Sasuke gripped his bleeding thigh to staunch the wound, aggravated by pushing himself to fight. Sai appeared haggard as if he'd already been through a battle before arriving here.

"You fool."

"W-What?"

"Do you know who this is? Do you understand with whom you were attempting to fight?"

He was so uncharacteristically serious, but there was an emotion there, something that shocked Sasuke beyond what he could express. He'd never once seen a feeling displayed by the pale Genin, he was a mysterious person and nobody had known who he was until he'd joined team 7. But then he'd become just another Genin.

"This is Orochimaru, the S-Ranked Missing-nin of Konoha."

The man grinned, his face twisting in a hideous expression of cruel glee. His eyes flashed purple, a gold, reptilian slit at the centre of his irises. He laughed a scratchy laugh, the sound like scraping fingernails through wood.

"I see that someone knows who I am! Well, what will you do now, pitiful pet of an old fool?"

Sai was already moving, a scroll unfurled and a paintbrush flickering over its surface.

"Ninpou: Choujuu Giga."

Orochimaru hopped backwards, one hand swiped in front of his torso, destroying the ink Swallow before it could hit him. It was a bluff though, designed to give Sai enough time to make something bigger. This time a large bird flew from the page and Sai jumped onto its back, pulling his Jitte from its sheathe. Orochimaru ducked the first strike, his arm flashing upwards to catch the Genin's wrist.

"Pitiful."

Sai was thrown backwards from the force of the knife-hand strike to his Adam's apple. He slammed into a tree and rolled down onto one of its branches. He coughed before falling still.

"Weak. But then again, you did no better, did you Sasuke-kun?"

XXXXXXXX

It was a war-torn city. The buildings were in ruins, the streets shattered and pockmarked as if explosions had been a common occurrence in the not-so-distant past. The walls were crumbling, the sandstone and concrete barely holding up against the wind. Yet they still fought, two opposing countries that were in the shadows but still managed to devastate the area by their presence.

The Villagers were caught in the crossfire, not a single person was spared. Families were torn apart; fathers and brothers killed, mothers and sisters left without their beloved siblings and spouses. It was a sign of things to come and things that could have been.

Imada Yoichi stared out from his hiding place, a run-down shack that used to house the city's important government memos. He snorted belligerently; the only memo in the place was probably buried under three feet of dust, dirt and ash by now. A gentle breeze was blowing outside, the sun beaming down on the streets causing the area to glow a bright gold-ish yellow. It was the one disadvantage of having sandstone buildings in Fire Country. You'd likely blind yourself in the midday sun. The wind blew up a storm of the yellow granules causing the 8 year old to close his eyes and shield them with his arm.

"Psst, Yocchan!"

Yoichi paused until the battering of dust and dirt had passed before turning to the one who had hailed him. He was met with the grinning visage of a blue-haired youth not that much older than himself.

"Oh, Mattaru, what'cha doin here?"

Said boy gave his friend a conspiratorial grin and slipped beneath the rickety wooden table that was somehow in a better condition than the building housing it.

"They goin' at it out thar! Is gettin' real scorchin'!"

Yoichi ignored the weird speech patterns his fellow orphan possessed; they all had their problems, some just manifested in different ways.

"Ya' mean the sun or the fight?"

"The fight obveesly!"

Yoichi grunted and peeked through a hole in the concrete. Just as he did so, two figures appeared about three metres from the building, the one with the strange headband managing to skewer the other with one of his Sai. Yoichi winced; it was nothing new, but still, didn't they have any idea of what a life was worth?

"I can't stand this."

"What'cha mean Yocchan?"

"Didn't I tell ya' to stop callin' me that?!"

Mattaru grinned, yellowing teeth glinting slightly from beneath his parched lips.

"We can't live here Mattaru! There ain't nuffin to do! We'll be killed if we don't do sumfing!"

Mattaru's grin died on his lips as he contemplated what his friend had said.

"We go'n die anyway Yocchan."

"Yeah, but not like this!"

Mattaru scratched his head idly.

"Li' what?"

Yoichi sighed exasperatedly and waved his hands around the crumbling shack.

"Like this! We're gonna end up killed by one of those idjits! It's bad enough that everyone else is dead!"

Mattaru looked as if he wanted to say something, but was prevented from doing so when the ailing wooden door was blown clear of its hinges. The two boys cowered in terror as a body followed the piece of furniture into the wall bringing the whole thing down on him.

"Yocchan! We gotta get outta 'ere! Is fallin, see?"

Yoichi had only a second to stare up at the roof that began to groan and pitch inwards. With startled cries, the two youths sprinted for the doorway as fast as they could. Yoichi jumped forward as the last support snapped and the concrete dropped under the force of gravity, scraping the heel of his right foot. He landed with a thump on the veranda of the downed building, his heart racing a mile a minute.

"T'was close, eh Yocchan?"

"Shut up Mattaru!"

He wiped his sweaty brow with the heel of his hand and squinted from the shadowed porch to the empty streets of Bassai. The quiet lumber-town on the outskirts of Hi no Kuni had been reduced to a barren wasteland within the space of a few weeks. It was so intense that he was sure the surrounding areas hadn't even caught word of what was going on yet. With prospects of reinforcements from Konoha or the capital bleak, the residents had holed up and waited for it to finish. Nobody had an idea of whom or what was fighting, just that things had turned so bad for them so quickly. In a place so dedicated to capitalism, everyone had become worried for themselves, not caring if their neighbour or their friends lost their lives.

He couldn't stand it. It was just him and Mattaru left from the band of orphans that had grouped together to find some sort of safety. They couldn't fight, they were far too young, and every single one of their sanctuaries had been destroyed slowly but surely. Initially they'd tried to help whoever would get injured, but when Soichiro had been beheaded by a Shinobi who'd thought he was helping the enemy....

Yoichi swore to repay every single innocent death someday. Someday, when he was strong enough to do so.

XXXXXXX

The Snake of the Sannin paused as he spun neatly around his prey, backhanding him in the jaw as he did so. His eyes seemed to be tracking him even if they didn't have the Sharingan in them.

'_That shouldn't be possible. I'm moving too fast for the naked eye to pick up.'_

Sasuke regained his balance a few metres away, one hand planted firmly on the tree trunk beneath him. He could see the guy and slowly he was becoming accustomed to his movements. The youngest Uchiha allowed himself a small smile; if this Orochimaru kept on toying with him, Sasuke would be the last one to laugh.

His opponent exploded into action, racing towards him in a zig-zagging motion. Sasuke stood his ground, his arms raised in the defensive stance of the Uchiha's Taijutsu style that Shisui had trained him in for so long. He'd modified it slightly to focus more on the physics of the battle rather than relying on predicting where his opponent would strike. He didn't have the Sharingan and so there was no point trying to fight in a way designed around the user perceiving the world with one.

A dust cloud blew up around him as the Missing-nin suddenly diverted his course and started circling him at the same speed. His head whipped around and around, tracking the man with his eyes.

'_I can see him!'_

A shot of elation raced through his veins and he subtly changed his pose ever so slightly. He didn't even realise what had happened before his fist whipped out and around, slamming with a sickening crack into the snake-like man's nose. The appendage gave under his fist and Orochimaru was thrown back, startled.

"You-"

He breathed out slowly. A gleeful grin spread wide across his face.

"So you _do_ have the Sharingan, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke gasped.

"What?!"

Orochimaru chuckled lightly.

"I see...so the Uchiha has to be in a state of high concentration to encourage the reaction. Truly the Uchiha are most...withdrawn with their secrets."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Orochimaru stared at him with a calculating look in his eyes.

"But this makes things so much easier! This is wonderful Sasuke-kun, just _wonderful!_"

His hands whipped up into a single seal and Sasuke was forced to witness the most disgusting thing he'd had to see in his life. The Shinobi's neck extended grossly, twisting and turning, the bones in the appendage poking within the skin as muscles tensed irregularly. His head shot forward, teeth clamping onto his neck like a vice. Sasuke screamed in pain as something creeped into his blood. He immediately felt clammy and cold, the world falling away from him in an instant. He could hear someone shouting in the distance, probably Sakura, but he couldn't make out anything beyond that. He was just too tired...too far...

Orochimaru's grin remained on his lips, even though his head was so far from his body. His mark fell to his knees and then flopped sideways as the Snake of the Sannin released the boy's neck.

"W-WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SASUKE-KUN?!"

Orochimaru turned a bemused face to the girl. What a waste for the Shinobi forces of Konoha! That they'd allowed such a weak Kunoichi to graduate....

"This? Oh this is just a small gift for our young Uchiha friend."

He began to melt into the tree beneath him, his grin so wide that it almost matched the animal it looked like.

"You see, Sasuke-kun will seek me out for power. Of that, I have no doubt..."

Sakura was left staring at a bare patch of bark, her body trembling and exhausted. With her two teammates incapacitated, she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

XXXXXXXXXX

"SHIKAMARU!"

"YEAH?"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE?!"

The lazy Nara closed his eyes against the incredible rush of air and water pounding against his prone form. He laid prone on the makeshift rafts as they shot down the river at breakneck speed. He had absolutely no idea what kind of absolute madman would set up a trap so complex just for the sake of it. It couldn't have been the examiners; they were too busy with the preparations to even think about touching the forest. No, it was most probably that troublesome person the crazy purple-haired woman had mentioned before they'd been let in. It was kind of nice though, to simply lay there and stare up at the sky with the wind and water running through your hair....

"SHIKAMARU!"

"WHAT INO?!"

"GET US OUT OF THIS!"

With a muttered 'Mendokusai' Shikamaru signalled to Chouji who had his mouth opened wide at the front of his own vessel, his gaping maw collecting fish and water at a rapid pace.

"CHOUJI!"

"MFMMHMM!"

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EATING AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"

Shikamaru sighed at the stupidity of it all. Couldn't she see that he was collecting food for later? Actually, scratch that, knowing Chouji, he was probably eating and passing it off as following the plan...

"ALRIGHT CHOUJI LET'S DO THIS!"

He dropped his fist and leapt from the raft, his hands already forming the seal for the Kage Mane no Jutsu. Ino's form froze and she screeched as she was pulled from the back of the boat when Shikamaru's shadow connected with her own. The lazy genius heard his best friend shout his body-sizing technique and suddenly the whole world stopped. Shikamaru and Ino landed in the water with a satisfying plop.

"Nice one Chouji!"

The Akimichi rubbed a finger under his nose in embarrassment from his position blocking off the river from pulling them further downstream. Ino surfaced with a cough as Shikamaru disengaged his technique. He placed his fingers in his ears to block out the impending tirade.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?! AT LEAST TELL ME WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

Shikamaru sighed exasperatedly. What did he do to deserve something like this? And who was that kid in the trees a moment ago?

Sighing again, he leaned back to float on the surface of the river.

'_The clouds are nice today...'_

XXXXXXXX

Naruto raced towards the location his latest trap had been sprung all the while grinning like a loon. He really couldn't wait to see which team had been unfortunate – and stupid enough, to walk right into something like that. He reached the first few trees that were burning from the explosions that had set them alight. He didn't know if he was actually allowed to tear the Training Ground up like he had done but he supposed he'd have to let Anko deal with that. After all, she was the one who wanted him here, right?

He glanced around in awe at the damage that had been done to the foliage in the surrounding area. This couldn't have been all done by explosive notes; some trees had been totally uprooted and thrown on their sides. Many of the fallen Oaks didn't even have burn marks on them and it seemed as if a Wind Jutsu had been thrown about from all the leaves strewn on the forest floor. Naruto frowned as he realised the significance of their states; an area-effect Wind technique had to have been a powerful one to achieve such a result. He didn't think a Genin would be able to do something like that. Maybe he was underestimating them?

He flipped over a smouldering heap of branches that had broken off when one of the trees had hit another as it was falling. The two stems were lying side-by-side about five metres to his right, both burning ferociously. He coughed into his hand and pulled the top of his black muscle shirt over his mouth; the swirling smoke was getting thicker as he moved further in, the smog stinging his eyes and causing a toxic stench to pervade throughout the area. He could hardly see through his watery gaze and it was hard to navigate whilst tree-jumping. Wasn't it standard procedure to stay close to the ground when in a fire?

Naruto hopped from the surface of a fallen log, bouncing once on a blackened tree that was surprisingly upright, to land on the leafy floor of the forest. Dry leaves crunched under his sandals as he took stock of his surroundings, wiping a grimy hand across his eyes to try and clear them. His senses blared as he felt a large Chakra source rapidly approaching. Ducking low, he pulled a brace of Shuriken from his Utility Pouch and flung them at the speeding Shinobi just hard enough to warn them of what they would be getting themselves into. He flared his Chakra and then activated his Invisibility technique, melding into the surroundings like a Chameleon. The ninja paused but then swerved to continue, this time aiming directly for him. Naruto peered through the burning leaves; what the hell was going on here? Did the guy want to pick a fight or something?

Not many people would be capable of pin-pointing him whilst his Invisibility Jutsu was activated. It was very hard to locate someone based on their Chakra output and yet there were Shinobi who were able to do so. It shouldn't be much of a problem in a forest full of Genin though; that was a skill he was sure _no Genin_ would be capable of!

And so it came as a big shock when two Kunai almost sunk into the back of his head whilst he was looking around the area. If he hadn't turned his head at that exact moment...

Startled, he dropped his Jutsu and stared up into the surrounding trees that hadn't fallen in the chaos. His heart leapt into his throat.

'_No way....'_

"You.....so it was you all along, you despicable piece of trash!"

"Orochimaru."

They stared at each other, one so badly ruffled, his flawless black hair sticking out at odd angles, his clothes in tatters and his eyes glaring ice-cold daggers at the Konoha Jinchuuriki. Naruto regarded his mortal enemy for a few seconds and then without any warning, burst into raucous laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! W-What happened to you, Oro-chan?! You get caught in one of my traps or somethin'?!"

Orochimaru's face tightened in a snarl even further. A tick appeared on his forehead and his body began to shake with pent up fury.

"You.....you....."

"AHAHAHAHA! Is that all you can say?! You, you....sounds like a cartoon I used to watch when I was little, ehehehehe-"

"YOU WILL DIE-"

It was to this scene that two battling teams of Genin rolled into the makeshift clearing, one side clearly gaining the upper hand in their fight. From their headbands, Naruto gathered that the first one who were the underdogs were from Iwa and the others from Kumo.

'_Uh oh...'_

A weathered Iwa-nin glanced up and squinted at where Naruto was standing. His eyes widened and he immediately pointed him out to his teammates.

"T-THAT'S...ISN'T THAT KONOHA'S PAINTER?!"

Naruto sweat-dropped. _'Konoha's Painter?! What the hell kinda nickname is that?!'_

His teammate gasped.

"Oi Rinji! Shut the hell up! That name's taboo and if Tsuchikage-Sama hears you say it..."

The last of the trio trembled as he tapped his friend on the shoulder.

"K-Koetsuji...h-he...i-it's the P-Painter...."

Koetsuji raised a hand to push his teammate away and in doing so, faced Naruto's perplexed form. He froze.

Meanwhile, the Kumo Shinobi were trembling in anger.

"YOU DAMNED CLOUD RIDER! HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE RAIKAGE LIKE THAT?!"

'_Now that's more like it! 'Cloud Rider' hmm? It's got a nice ring to it!'_

Naruto took a stance, placing his left hand on his hip and his right pointing at the hapless Genin.

"See you idiots?! That's how you give a nickname! 'Breaking Wind'? 'Konoha's Painter'? What the hell is that?! At least you Cloudies have some style!"

Orochimaru, completely forgotten in the ensuing shouting match, began clenching and releasing his fists. This fool dared to ignore him..._he, one of the legendary three and the most infamous Konoha Missing-nin?!_

"FOOLS! YOU THINK YOUR COUNTRIES WERE HUMILIATED?! OTO WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND IT TOOK OVER A YEAR TO RESTORE THE VILLAGE!"

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"You've got a point there mister. Alright, we'll take the arms and you guys can take the rest."

"Yeah, yeah! We got dibs on rippin' off his legs!"

The Otokage didn't mince words. A massive ball of fire mixed with a powerful Doryuudan that rose from the ground and ploughed right into the two teams, leaving nothing but burning ash in its wake.

'_Aww crap, he's mad!'_

"Did they really think I would allow anyone else to kill you?"

Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Hey, it woulda been easier for ya' if it was seven-on-one, neh?"

With a roar of anger, the Snake of the Sannin threw himself at the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, a Kunai already sailing towards his head. Naruto bent backwards, placing his hands on the floor until the dagger had passed harmlessly over his head before pushing off into a front-flip. It was a distraction and he knew it, but he couldn't avoid it with the speed it had been thrown. It was all the time Orochimaru needed to close the distance between them and before he landed, Naruto realised with a sinking feeling in his gut that the incensed Nuke-nin was already in his personal space.

His resolve hardened; he was no longer the small, wet-behind-the-ears child that Orochimaru had fought close to three years ago. He was stronger and faster now and he'd be damned if he didn't fight back. He had a score to settle too.

The assault came hard and fast, Naruto blocked the first jab, his forearms whizzing about his torso as he protected his body from the following three punches. He was being pressured and it wasn't the kind of fight he was used to.

"_You'll have to fight opponents who are stronger and better than you. That's the way things work. Kakashi can give a better explanation than me...."_

_Shisui plopped down beside Anko and ducked as she swiped at his head. The Copy Ninja pushed off from his leaning position and stared at Naruto squarely in the face. He didn't say a word for a while, simply content to study his young friend. After a few seconds, his book snapped shut and he eye-smiled in that irritating way that only he could pull off._

"_Na! When it happens, it happens, but the most important thing is to control the fight. Don't let the opposition get the upper hand. Us three favour the quick and quiet technique; when you see an opening, hit them with your best Jutsu and then get the hell out of there...."_

Naruto could hardly think, or even breathe for that matter. His Ryu-Zashi lay forgotten on his back, his form twisting and turning to avoid the blows raining down around him.

'_There!'_

Orochimaru's foot slipped slightly on the burnt floor. Obtaining a solid foothold was hard on the smooth, burnt mud and so when he lost his grip in that moment, Naruto made his move. The Snake of the Sannin had barely any time to understand what had happened. Naruto's body flickered and in a puff of smoke...didn't change. He frowned. What was that?

The blond Jinchuuriki surged forward, his arms brimming in Wind Chakra. The Otokage's hasty block was pulverised under the force of the blow and then he was sent airborne by a devastating right uppercut to the chin. Naruto cursed at the monstrous force on his knuckles, but he had no choice. It was either use the Kazeken or die trying.

'_I can't breathe...'_

He jumped, electricity sparking between his hands. Orochimaru swerved mid-air; his left leg whipping around to catch the blond 12 year old's side. Naruto caught the appendage, sending the current through it, but the Snake Summoner simply gritted his teeth and ignored the shock. He used his extended leg to force his opponent away. Landing in a roll and springing up immediately. In an instant, he was back in the fight, this time armed with a sword he'd pulled from his throat.

'_No time to think...'_

Two swipes, one for his neck, the other for his chest. He threw himself backwards, his shirt snagging on the cracking bark. He felt the sing of the sharp edge against his bare skin. It whistled mere millimetres from his nose, almost electrocuting him with the deadly steel that shone in the sunlight. That sword was amazing and beautiful, glowing a bright white in the darkness almost as if an illusion had been draped over it. It had to be special; no wonder the Snake of the Sannin used it as his favoured weapon.

He rolled backwards, catching the side of a tree trunk with his arms and swinging around it. In a split-second decision, he pulled the last of his ninja wire from his utility pouch and tied it to a brace of Shuriken before throwing it around the side of the tree. He sped through handseals, one set for a Wind Jutsu followed by another for a tongue of flame. The metal stars careened around the tree, flying at blistering speeds as the flames licked around them. Orochimaru's eyes widened but he was too slow to avoid the perilous projectiles.

'_Tch...mud clone.'_

The clone melted into the floor and Naruto was left scanning the dark foliage for any sign of his quarry.

'_Damnit! I gotta get outta here and tell someone that this freak is here! I dunno how long I'll be able to hold out like this!"_

"So you can use clones now?"

The blond Jinchuuriki's head whipped around only to be nailed in the temple with a vicious sword thrust. His clone dispersed in a mound of sludge. Orochimaru regarded him with slight surprise.

'_But when did he switch?...That time! When the smoke appeared! Did he perform the Kawarimi without handseals?!'_

"It seems my old apprentice has been teaching you a few things Naruto-kun."

Naruto unsheathed his Ryu-Zashi; there was no more time. He had to end this and get the hell out of there before things got ugly. He didn't know what this guy was doing here, but it most probably meant something big to Konoha. With his resolve set, he jumped down from his hiding place.

XXXXXXX

Anko couldn't stop laughing! It was just too funny! Especially the bit where he stole all those teams' scrolls and built a pyramid out of them only to burn them in front of the poor Genin's eyes! She'd doubled over laughing so hard that she'd cracked her head on the side of the wooden bench. She couldn't tell if the tears in her eyes were from the pain of the hit or from her mirth.

God, it was the best idea to have Naruto participate in this! No wonder Kakashi was so eager to get him for his team's exam!

She snorted and wiped a hand across her eyes, turning back to the seeing ball once again.

Her blood turned cold.

She cursed, tucked the ball into her trench coat and smashed through the wall of the shed, sprinting for the forest.

Izumo knocked on the door to Anko's office.

"Anko-san! You need to come and see this! We have an emergency here!"

He frowned when there was no answer.

"Oi Izumo!"

He turned to stare at his friend.

"Anko's just jumped into the forest. What should we do?"

Izumo's eyes widened.

"What?!"

XXXXXXXXX

Their swords clashed in a flurry of blows, sparks flying in every direction. Naruto struck with a wind-powered strike, his reach overextending but throwing his opponents blade wide. He pushed forward, slamming the hilt of his right blade into Orochimaru's stomach whilst swinging his left at his neck. The Otokage grunted in pain but managed to dodge the second blow.

'_No time to stop.'_

They clashed again, arms trembling from the terrible force behind the blows.

'_If I stop, I'll die.'_

He dodged, left, right, a slice cut into his right cheek as his enemy's sword whistled past.

'_If I breathe, he'll cut me.'_

Block, parry, attack, jump back. The process was repeated again and again. He could see the eyes of his opponent, gleaming in triumph as if he knew he would win. Naruto would surprise him. He had a plan.

He surged forward, throwing his left Wakizashi as hard as he could, his trademark Wind Chakra sending it shooting towards the Otokage's gut. Orochimaru blocked with the flat of his blade, a ferocious vibration shaking his body to the core as the flying sword clanged loudly as it collided. Naruto capitalised at once. His right arm shot forward, lunging for his opponent's shoulder, but the Snake of the Sannin was far too experienced to fall for that.

He knew.

Orochimaru shook off the numbness in his limbs, blocking another forceful blow from the annoying whelp. He was forced to stumble backwards and that was his mistake. Naruto swivelled on his heel, his left hand whipping round with a Rasengan primed within his palm. The whirling ball of Delphinium drilled into his chest, throwing him like a javelin into a charred tree. He went right through; the ailing limb groaned and toppled over on its side. Naruto hopped around it, holding his empty left hand to his bleeding cheek. Orochimaru had come to a rest lying awkwardly on his side, his face turned away from the Jinchuuriki. Naruto was surprised that he had taken him out so quickly. The last time they'd fought, every time they'd fought in fact, he'd never been able to so much as touch him.

"Kukukuku....You have improved Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes widened. So it hadn't killed him. He was at odds here; should he cut his losses and run or should he try and finish the man off?

"It seems as though I should pay your Uchiha friend a...visit one of these days."

Orochimaru chuckled and wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. The Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was looking at him with such venom...

It made him laugh even more.

When Naruto spoke, his voice was so low and guttural that it could have been from a growling lion.

"You touch a single hair on Shisui's head and I'll flippin' tear your body apart! YOU FREAKIN' HEAR ME?!"

Orochimaru chuckled again.

"Ah, such friendship!"

He spat a globule of blood at Naruto, the vile mixture of phlegm and life's liquid dripped down his cheek.

"You have improved far beyond anything I could have foreseen, but no matter. You will still die here."

Orochimaru paused in his diatribe. Someone was coming and the Chakra Signature was large, possibly ANBU. He cursed under his breath; he would have to leave the party for now.

"We shall meet again, Kyuubi Child, and make no mistake."

"Next time, you will die."

Sensing what was about to happen, Naruto flipped a coin from his pocket and let loose his Railgun. The circular piece of metal streaked into the ground with a loud boom and Naruto was forced to cover his eyes from the flash of pure white light and the bits of mud and earth that he was pelted with. When the light died down, Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen.

'_Aww damn! I'd better get out of here! I need to rest up somewhere...'_

He turned and limped off in a random direction. He paused and scratched his head.

'_Where'd Anko-nee say the tower was again?'_

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Yeah, yeah, I know this took so long, but in my defence, I was really, REALLY BUSY! I literally had about 5 hours of typing time in the last three weeks! To tide you over, this was the single most longest chapter I have ever written, so make sure you tell me how you found it!

Anyway, I can't be bothered to get all the translations out today, maybe I'll do it later. The only note that needs to be understood is Sai's weapon. The little sword or whatever it is, is called a 'Jitte'. I don't know what the parallel is in English so if anyone knows, let me know and I'll post it here.

Props go to anothvortex for an idea I used in this chapter; thank you! Also, he's started a story so be sure to check that up!

And this is MegaB, signing out!


	37. Chapter 37

OSSU! YOSH! KONNICHIWA! Hatha al-qasas lil 'aamatul mustarika! Janaab!

Yeah, so welcome to Chapter 37 of this poor little story! I realise that that was Japanese, Arabic, Urdu and English; props to anyone who can work out what that means!!!

Aaanyway. Review Highlights time! First off, BIG THANK YOU TO MY NEWEST AND ONE OF MY MOST FAVOURITE REVIEWERS LANALISHA-THEZII! You're awesome! Thanks for all of the comments you gave me and then asked me to die whilst pouring salt on my wounds. (That was her reaction to...Shisui's...plight.) Another memorable one was the author of 'Medicinal Lullaby', Shivakashi! She finally got down to reviewing and what a review it was. She's awesome too!

Next up, Dracco! Some amazing ideas which I humbly accept and should use at some point. Thank you! Dirty Reid reviewed! THE DIRTY REID! As in the author of 'Master of Puppets, Demolition Chief'! He's an awesome author and I intended to get some of his stories up here too. Highlights also go to Narilyte for an outstanding analysis of clichés and plotholes, InARealPickle for spotting someone nobody else did (will follow!), Condor Green for reminding me not to keep ol' 'Rochi-chan all one-dimensional, jolteonforever for the reaction to a new chapter (and I quote "YES YES YES HECK YES!" :D) and Dragonking20 for a particularly natural review where I could envision him raising his fingers in a certain gesture. Now THOSE were some amazing reviews! Thank you all!

Fanfic Highlight goes to Vorago Atrox's 'Different Past, Different Future'. I think I've mentioned it before, but it's one of the craziest and funniest 'Naruto goes back in time' stories on this site! Go read it and see where I got the inspiration for the Nidaime's infamous 'Happy pills'.

Oh and before I forget, yes, 'Bassai' is the Village from Shivakashi's story (Well done InARealPickle!). I put it in there just to surprise her but I guess that's down the drain now that she actually started reading this! So NYAH! SURPRISE! Also to spite her since I had it torn up by war and all that! :P

That said, Chapter 37! Consisting of some crazy reactions, abandonment and a funny twist that no-one expected (Not even me!).

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Anko landed on a cracking and burnt tree, quickly hopping to the forest floor as it gave way into a heap of crumbling granules and ash. She clutched her nose in vain as the rank smell of burnt foliage assaulted her senses. The fires were still burning around here and she had no idea how Naruto had managed to make this much damage. She grimaced. She was going to catch hell from the Sandaime when he heard about the state of the Training Ground. Didn't Naruto know anything about restraint?

She forced herself onwards, a quick Wind Jutsu forcing the low-hanging clouds of asphyxiant from her path. She sprinted low to the ground, her head swinging in all directions as she zeroed in on the location she had spotted her evil ex-Sensei in before rushing into the forest. Spreading her senses before her in a wide arc, she attempted to locate his position. She almost stepped back and gasped at what she found.

The forest was destroyed in a good mile in every direction. Forest infernos were raging in at least three sections of the oaken woods, one particularly large flame spreading outwards in the direction of the eastern quadrant. There was no life left; everything from the grass to the huge insects were totally absent. Either they were dead or they had fled from the heat threatening their lives and homes. It was incredible yet morbid at the same time. This couldn't have been done by Naruto alone. There must've been a large fight after the two had met.

As she hopped to another tree, her foot slipped on something wet and smooth. Righting herself, she crouched down and rubbed two fingers over the surface of the bark. Above the withering branch, a sticky liquid had settled on the surface and it was beginning to dry. She raised her hand to the dying light filtering through the trees as the day made its transition to night.

'_Blood?'_

She wiped her appendages on the side of her coat and took off once again, this time heading in another direction. It was hard to track anyone who had been through this place. The surroundings were torn up so badly that it was akin to finding a single piece of cereal in a bowl full of milk. Every time you think you've grabbed something, it slips out and turns out to be nothing more than part of the carnage.

She felt a flicker of Chakra off in the distance. It was small, but potent. It had a hint of something far more powerful underneath and she knew whose it was. She increased her speed frantically, coat-tail and hair flapping in the wind.

"Heh, so you finally get here, Anko-nee?"

She couldn't speak. Naruto sat slumping in front of one of the few trees that were left unscathed. She almost recoiled at the state he was in. His clothes were torn and beaten; the piece of cloth he used as a makeshift bandanna was skewed with a tear almost from top-to-bottom. It held onto his forehead by a thread, stretched taut as it hung limply above his eyes. His skin was sliced in various places, and she noticed a small thin line just below his right eye. A little higher and he would have been blinded.

"W-What happened?"

He grunted and pushed himself shakily to his feet. She saw the tremors wracking his legs. He could barely stand.

"T-TAKE IT EASY!"

He grinned up at her through his sweaty hair, his lips curling up into a small smile.

"You were watchin' right?"

She nodded jerkily. Anger began to boil within her veins like never before. Her eyes shook in their sockets as she clenched her fists. The blond-haired Jinchuuriki seemed to sense her rage as his eyes widened slightly.

"Where is he?"

There was no shudder in her voice that time. Naruto pointed to the north.

"He took off that way, but not before I left him a little present!"

He tried to laugh but ended up in a fit of hacking coughs. She nodded to him and took off in the direction he'd pointed.

"HEY WAIT!"

She was long gone.

"I was gonna ask what you thought of the pranks..."

Sighing, he turned away. He needed to get some rest and heal up for the night. He was close to simply dropping to the floor and falling asleep. It would have been suicide to do something like that without anyone to watch his back. Training Arena 44 was notorious for its man-eating tigers and carnivorous bugs. He needed to find someplace small, with a roof to spend the night in case it rained whilst he was out. Orochimaru definitely deserved his place among the legendary three, of that Naruto was certain.

Groaning from the fatigue in his limbs, he struggled through the devastated surroundings in search for his goal. It was going to be a long night.

XXXXXXX

Orochimaru appeared in a flash of light, the smell of burning flesh rising from his right elbow, below which had simply disappeared. He grunted from the pain and stumbled over to a sycamore that was barely hanging from a thread of bark attached to its stem. He fell heavily onto his backside and glanced down at the amputated appendage in confusion.

He had no idea how half his arm had been torn from the limb.

The last things he'd known before pulling off a hasty Shunshin had been a searing beam of electric blue light connecting with his forearm. What it had been and where it had come from, he still couldn't figure out, but it was most certainly a fearsome Jutsu. The bottom half of the appendage had literally been blown off, the small sight of twisted bone peaking from the cauterised area. It had been so destructive and hot that the wound was staunched by the sheer heat generated from the blow.

'_Uzumaki Naruto...what a monstrous boy indeed.'_

Spitting out a glob of blood, he cursed and stumbled to his feet, quickly setting a fast pace for the edge of the forest. In his condition, he could only use Taijutsu with one arm. Ninjutsu was out of the question since he had only one available hand. He needed to reach Kabuto as quickly as possible.

Smirking, he detected a Chakra Signature he hadn't expected to find in the area. It was a nice distraction from the annoyances he had been facing since entering this thrice damned forest since the start of the test. His only true success had been placing the Ten no Juuin on Sasuke-kun's neck. As soon as an opportunity presented itself, he was going to destroy everything that blond-headed brat held dear and it just so happened that his old, cast-off of a student was one of them.

"Anko, it has been a long time since we last met, has it not?"

Said purple-eyed Kunoichi schooled her expression into one of cool indifference from her elevated position high in the tree-tops.

"You don't look so cool yourself Snake-Face."

Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly.

"Ahhh, so feisty! It seems as though you still harbour regrets from our...previous meeting."

She lost it. She couldn't help herself. This utter scum dared to bring that up in front of her after what he'd done?! She was going to pound his snaky hide into the ground with everything she had and that was quite a lot considering how strong she had become in recent years. Friendship with the best had its advantages.

"Senei'Jashu!"

Everything happened so fast, it was hard to keep track. Her battle instincts were thrown into the highest gear with such startling efficiency that the few moments they spent at odds passed like lightning.

She flipped in the air, snakes raining from her extended wrist. Her ex-sensei coughed and spat out a snake of his own, his body twisting in impossible directions to face her as she descended in the air. They exchanged blows, a quick one-two dominated by the younger female. She followed with a quick half uppercut that sent him on a collision course for the tree he had been leaning against. With a solid crack, the last strand of bark snapped and the whole thing collapsed on top of him.

"What's the matter, beanpole? Did a little kid turn out to be more than you could handle?"

The pale Missing-nin snarled in anger.

"You dare to spout such insolence in my presence?! Do you not value your life, you pitiful throwaway?"

At first, she felt fury, so powerfully intoxicating unlike anything she had experienced before. But something clicked in her mind. It might have been the situation he was in, indented into the ground with large splinters stuck into his skin all over his body and his left arm in bloody pieces. It could also have been the hilarity of the exam she had witnessed from her examiner's booth since the test had begun. She simply threw her head back and laughed.

"Heh, you've really got some guts, aint'cha Snake-Face? I can understand why 'Ruto went and did your face up like some clown at a circus, you can play the part like it's natural!"

She paced over to him slowly, her gait calm and relaxed.

"Looks like you went through one of his pranks! Oh lookie! Where's your arm gone? Tch, you can't even put up a fight without it!"

Orochimaru shook in rage as he pulled himself from his makeshift fissure.

"You dare...."

"Yup! I dare! So what of it?"

He raised himself to his full height, his right arm forming a half-seal. Anko's smile twisted into a mocking leer.

"Then again, you don't look half bad, what with the long hair and all..."

She spun on her heel, a Kunai dropping into her hand from beneath her long sleeves. She stood firm from the severe force that pounded her constricted muscles, sparks flying before her eyes causing them to light up in a sparkling brown unique to her gaze alone.

"You can't kill me, not how you are right now. Do you still want to try?"

They held their gazes for a moment, daring the other to make a move. Anko wasn't stupid. Even in his condition he could probably injure her grievously. But he was in the same boat. One wrong move and he'd be missing another arm. He snorted arrogantly, jumping back with the same grace she remembered.

"To think my little student had such a vicious tongue. I'm sure I taught you better than that."

Anko grinned cat-like.

"The only thing you taught me, was how to act more like a woman than any man should."

He answered by sending his Kusanagi extending towards her. She barely dodged in time and when she turned back to him, her face smarting from a thin slice above her right cheekbone, she realised what his single half-seal had been for. Pain exploded throughout her body originating from the cursed seal just above her collarbone. It was like someone had poured molten lead into her blood stream. She fell to her knees, but the pain disappeared almost as fast as it came. She glanced up to where Orochimaru had been only moments before, sweat rolling down her nose and chin.

"Tch...Mud Clone, huh? You like running away these days dont'cha?"

His ghostly chuckles echoed through the trees in his wake, a threat yet unfulfilled. She cursed within her mind. Even as torn up as he was, she still couldn't kill him. It had been the best opportunity she would ever have and she'd blown it.

Stowing her Kunai in her Utility Pouch, she jumped down from the trees and plodded towards the centre of the Forest. There would be no point in trying to find Naruto now; he was probably holed up in some cave somewhere, recovering from his ordeal. She couldn't blame him; he'd done far better than she or anyone else could have expected of him.

"...rashi Anko! Mitarashi Anko! Respond!"

With a start, she remembered turning the volume of her headset down before she'd began spying on the forest so that no-one would disturb her. That guy must have been shouting pretty loud for her to hear him. She cradled her ear as she pushed the volume up again.

"Yeah? What's up?"

She heard the guy shout in surprise and winced as her eardrum rang from the volume.

"This is ANBU squad three. Where have you been, we've been trying to contact you for almost an hour!"

She rubbed the nape of her neck in embarrassment as she clicked the send button once again.

"About that. Sorry, I turned the volume down on the set 'cause I was doing something important."

She heard someone talking rapidly in the background although she couldn't make anything out.

"Mitarashi-san, we have an emergency. A team of Kusa Genin have been murdered before they entered the Second Exam. Do you copy?"

Damn. That was Orochimaru alright. So he had someone else in here too?

"Affirmative. I....I made contact with the perpetrator about ten minutes ago."

He gasped.

"Do you have an ID on the guy? OI ICHIRO! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE! WE'VE GOT A POSSIBLE ID!"

She sweat-dropped. Weren't they meant to keep the names under wraps when on duty? If she'd done that when she was ANBU she was sure one of the higher-ups would have given her hell for it.

"It was Orochimaru."

The line went quiet. She tapped it with her finger when all she could hear was slight static.

"Uhh...anyone home?"

"Can you repeat that?"

"Yeah, it was Orochimaru. Shinobi ID: zero, zero, two, three, zero, zero. S-Ranked Missing-nin, origination: Konoha."

There was a flurry of sound and Anko frowned in consternation.

"Status?"

It was a gruff question and the purple-haired Mitarashi almost cracked-up at the tension in his voice.

"He's on the run. I don't think we'll be findin' him anytime soon."

She heard a pop, almost as if someone had executed a Shunshin at that exact moment.

"And you, Mitarashi-san?"

She grinned a large Cheshire-cat smile.

"I'm fine! Can't say the same about some of the Genin though. I have no idea who he came into contact with besides Uzumaki Naruto."

"He fought Uzumaki?!"

This time she cackled into the microphone.

"Oh yes! And it didn't do too well for him!"

The man gasped again.

"So then....so then, all those rumours about what happened in Rice were true-"

"Hell yeah they were! I got pictures!"

"Really?! Oh man, you gotta show me them someti-"

"OI KUMA! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MAINTAINING RADIO SILENCE! WE'VE GOT A FREAKIN' SECURITY BREACH AND YOU'RE MESSING AROUND ON THE COMM LINK?!"

Anko shook her head. These guys were hopeless. There was another bout of rustling on the other end, it sounded like poor Kuma had just been hit on the head with a frying pan.

"Hebi-Sempai, this is Taka speaking."

Anko sighed as she passed a trio of Kumo Shinobi that had been snuck up from the rear by a typical bunch of Kiri-nin. That was pathetic.

"Yo! What's up Yuugi-chan?"

"Can you stop calling me that when I'm on duty?!"

Anko's grin turned devious. She could hear Yuugao's frown rather than see it.

"Heh, still stuck up about your lack of stealth on the Wave mission? Face it, the brat's way better than you give him credit for!"

Uzuki Yuugao grumbled under her breath before coughing and regaining her 'mission voice'.

"Mitarashi-san, I'm leading ANBU squads three and four to your position. We'll scour the area and try to pick up any leads on the traitor's whereabouts."

Anko snorted.

"Good luck with that. He's long gone. At least Naruto managed to tear his arm off..."

"WHAT?!"

Anko laughed into the headset.

"Yeah, tell me about it! But when I saw his arm all mangled up, I knew that there was only one person who could've done somethin' like that in here. Oh, and before you ask, I'll be makin' my report to Sandaime-Sama directly so forget about it."

Yuugao signed off and Anko released the send button. She paused as a Suna-nin suddenly shot out from behind a bush, back bent in roughly a semi-circle. He slammed into a tree, bounced twice before coming to a rest, obviously unconscious.

Her eyebrow twitched.

'_Just what the hell kind of other traps has he hidden in here?!'_

XXXXXXXX

Night fell to a rush of activity. Many of the stronger Genin had made it through the four days with only one scroll, the first and foremost of their objectives still incomplete due to a certain blond-haired nuisance who had burned most of the scrolls in a massive bonfire. In a last gasp attempt, many teams rushed to set ambush points at the mouth at the tower for the final day. It was a sound plan, but with most of the teams thinking along the same lines, it was hard to catch anyone who wasn't running around.

So it was that when the final moments of the exam passed, many teams were left stranded in the forest with nothing better to do than vent their frustrations of failure in a free-for-all with the rest of the losers. One team of Kumo Genin were frightened with the abrupt change in pace and decided to hide near a cave at the far end of the Training Arena so that they could scram as soon as a proctor arrived to let them out. They were perched up in a tree, camouflaged by a simple light distortion Genjutsu characteristic of Kaminari no Kuni Shinobi. As their Genjutsu expert explained it, the photons in the air could be deflected if the oxygen particles were ionised and then spaced at a certain distance apart from each other. It was only classed as a Genjutsu because there was a subtle illusion placed on the person outside to stop them from seeing a black hole in the middle of the foliage.

They had observed the cave for a while now and had been curious to find a group of the forest's animals sniffing around the entrance as if they were trying to find something. It was a scary thought as there were tigers, massive centipedes, wild dogs that looked like they'd eat anything if it moved and even a red-eyed squirrel that seemed to be scared out of his mind of something.

As the sun rose above the treetops, the trio's eyes widened when the rumoured blond-haired proctor walked out of the entrance to the cave, stretched, yawned, blinked at the hunger-crazed animals bearing down on him and calmly formed a ram handseal.

In a flash of colour, a line of Explosive Tags detonated all over the entrance way blowing bits and pieces of the forest terrors all over the clearing. Naruto yawned once more and plodded towards the mouth of the river that would lead him to the tower.

The Kumo ninja were shell-shocked. They couldn't move. _This guy was insane!_ He just killed those man-eating...._things_ without batting an eye. They froze up even further when he glanced in their direction and winked. He turned his back and they heard a "now then...where'd Anko-nee say the tower was again?"

There was a small rustle of leaves and the team leader turned to his teammates startled.

They'd fallen out of the tree.

Naruto's laughter followed them through the trees.

XXXXXXX

Kakashi scratched his head as he watched Sasuke struggle to defeat a Konoha Genin who had nothing going for him except his Chakra Sucking Hand of Doom. Talk about a one-trick pony. Every time he glanced at the guy he envisioned almost a hundred different ways to kill him with ease, and none of them required the Chidori.

He sighed and angled his head away from the match. He knew he couldn't put them on Naruto's level, but it was becoming hard to make that differentiation. They were the same age and had come from backgrounds far better than his and yet Naruto picked up things as if they were made for him. His body and mind guided him when his intellect couldn't; it was almost as if the instincts were ingrained into his DNA.

He caught Anko's eye as she grinned knowingly at him. Did she begin to think that she knew what he was thinking about? Yeah right, as if anyone could do that. He gave her his trademark eye-smile and she pouted and turned back to the fight. Sasuke ducked low but fell for an obvious feint. His enemy slammed him into the ground courtesy of a heavy trip and gripped his face with a glowing palm.

Kakashi groaned in annoyance. His student was acting like an amateur and his two teammates were acting like idiots. One was screaming about how it wasn't righteous to touch a hair on an Uchiha's head whilst the other seemed to be staring at a more...dubious location of the two contestants down in the arena. One of these days they would run into a team that would recognise him as their Jounin Sensei and he'd have all sorts of bad stuff staining his legend.

The crowd gasped and the ex-ANBU Captain pulled his hand away to find his student up in the air already slamming a kick home into the side of his enemy. Sasuke froze midway and a ripple of dark purple Chakra filled the room. Kakashi stared, quickly turning to look at the proctor's podium. Anko had faced the Hokage and was speaking to him in a hurried, hushed tone. The Sandaime shook his head and motioned to one of the Chuunin helpers. The male checked his clipboard before shaking his head as well.

It was then that Kakashi saw Hiruzen look up and stare directly at him. He raised three fingers, cocked them into a cross shape and then dropped them towards the floor. Kakashi understood the message instantly.

'_Us three, Kage Bunshin, downstairs now.'_

He was out of the room in a heartbeat.

"What was that?"

Sarutobi tucked his pipe into a pocket in his robes and turned his back on the two Jounin. Anko exchanged a glance with her friend. No way, it couldn't be...

"Anko. Tell Kakashi what you told me."

She glanced at him nervously, almost afraid to speak, but then she pulled herself together and squared her shoulders.

"You heard about the infiltration, right?"

He nodded.

"Sure. The Chuunin were working up a frenzy over it."

Anko nodded sharply.

"It was Orochimaru. We think he placed the Ten no Juuin on Uchiha Sasuke whilst in the forest."

Kakashi remained silent for a while; head down as he contemplated the latest development. Orochimaru? Here?! It didn't make any sense. If he was the person who got past the security bubble, it would explain why they hadn't detected anything, but still...

"Wait. That can't be his only goal. He wouldn't risk something like that just to seal Sasuke."

The Sandaime turned back to them with a grave look in his eye.

"Exactly. That's why we need to question Sasuke-san and find out what happened. According to Anko, Naruto-kun encountered him as well."

Kakashi balked.

"R-Really? A-And how did that turn out?"

Anko laughed at his expression beneath his mask. It was really weird and she could tell by the way the fabric stretched in really awkward ways. Maybe he covered his face to hide how animated he was?

"Heh. Old Snake-Face had a crash-course in a crashin' course. That too his arm got blown off. Didn't look too good when I saw him!"

Kakashi sweat-dropped. Naruto amputated the arm of an S-Ranked Missing-nin. What next?

"Hehe. I taught him too well!"

The Elite Jounin coughed into his fist.

"We all taught him."

The purple-haired Kunoichi slugged him on the arm and he was left rubbing the sting from his bicep.

"So, what happened?"

"Well, I was...monitorin' the exam," She winked casually at the Cyclops and he smirked; Crystal Ball, eh? "I saw 'Ruto gettin' into a fight with him so I rushed in as fast as I could. Turns out I wasn't really needed and Orochimaru took off before I could get to him. Naruto was a bit beat up when I found him but he pointed me in the right direction and I went to catch up with the slimeball."

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"You abandoned him."

Anko gave a start. It wasn't a question.

"Huh?"

"You just left him there? He had just fought one of the most notorious Shinobi in the world and you turned your back on him?"

The Sandaime realised where this was going and attempted to intervene.

"Wait, Kakashi-"

"No, you wait! What the hell were you thinking?"

Anko stood stock-still, her mouth open in shock. She'd never seen the Sharingan wielder this angry before, not once in her life. He wasn't just angry, he was furious. His hands were clenched and what little of his face she could see was turning red.

"I-It's not what you think! I-I was goin' after Orochi-"

"Don't give me that Anko! You left him all alone when he was hurt?! He calls you his sister!"

She shrank back at the accusation. She didn't know how to respond. Ever since Shisui had been rendered comatose and Naruto had closed in on himself, their dynamic was falling apart. They were quick to anger and Kakashi was displaying that Shisui's injury had affected him far more than he let on.

"Enough! Kakashi, you can save your misgivings for later! For now, we must focus on what to do with Uchiha Sasuke."

He glared at her a while longer but then relaxed his stance although his eyes still held the same steel as when he'd shouted at her. What was wrong with him? Why did he react like that?

"When his match is over, I'll take him down to the basement and counter-seal the Ten no Juuin."

Sarutobi glanced at Anko, but she had her head down.

"Are you sure you can handle it alone? Jiraiya-kun is back so I can always ask him."

Kakashi shook his head and replied with an emphatic 'Hai'.

Hiruzen sighed. It seemed as if Naruto was the centrepiece to everything these days. He couldn't even relax anymore with all the stuff happening around him. It was like trying to look after an unruly cub that always looks for fights against animals bigger and stronger than himself.

"Alright, that's what we'll do. Let's get back up there."

XXXXXXXX

"Alright, that should do it. Hang in there for a second, it should be over quickly."

Sasuke closed his eyes in anticipation and Kakashi could feel the slight vibe of anxiety from his tensed posture on the cold concrete floor of the basement within the tower of Training Arena 44.

He was about to begin the seals for the Fuuja Houin when something unexpected happened.

"Yo Kakashi!"

The Elite Jounin jumped. He was just so pent up with what had happened in the day that the voice echoing so loud in his ear within the depths of such an out-of-the-way location surprised him far more than it should have. His whole body shivered as he leapt almost a foot into the air.

"N-NARUTO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING DOWN HERE?!"

Naruto cackled loudly as he pointed a shaking finger at his friend.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I SCARED YOU! AHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Kakashi could only stare at him, nonplussed. He looked like he'd just walked out of a hurricane. His hair was tousled and windswept, his clothes torn and ripped in a multitude of places. He had small slices etched into his skin that appeared to have scabbed over. It didn't miss Kakashi's notice that the back of his black muscle T-Shirt seemed to be singed.

"So, what are you doing down here?"

Naruto walked up to the two Shinobi, Sasuke's eyes had snapped open and he was glaring at the blond with such hate that if looks could kill, Naruto would have been dead many times over.

"Hey! What's got your panties in a bunch? You're still wearing them right?"

Sasuke balked but quickly overcame his shock at the reference to the gender-changing seal that was forced on him during his Genin Exam. Naruto winked when the youngest Uchiha's glare returned full-force.

"Actually, I heard you were doin' some sealing down here, so I came to help!"

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"You know how to do the Fuuja Houin?"

"The what?"

The ex-ANBU Captain sighed. He shouldn't have expected such a high level technique from the boy anyway. It seemed as if he was holding his Sensei's legacy on a pinnacle that was unreasonable.

"This seal," Kakashi indicated with a lazy gesture, "is called the Fuuja Houin. It isolates seals based on the wearer's will and can control the seal beneath it."

"Oh. Sounds great!"

Sasuke's glare intensified.

"There's no way I'll let you near my body with a paintbrush for a one-mile radius."

Naruto grinned slyly at the Uchiha.

"Oh? But I can help! I'm pretty good with seals ya' know."

Sasuke scowled. Everyone around him seemed to love this troublemaker, but from what he'd seen, Uzumaki Naruto was a bumbling idiot who only had strength going for him. Who would test out new seals on people?!

"Aaaanyway, see, I have this new seal I wanted to try out and this is the best time to do it!"

"DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT COMING NEAR ME WITH A-"

"Gurk!"

Sasuke slumped forward, unconscious, with Naruto smiling innocently, his hand still raised from the knock-out strike he'd driven into the black-haired boy's collar-bone. Kakashi sweat-dropped.

"Naruto, there's nothing you can do here. Seriously. Just let me handle this."

He pouted and turned away. Kakashi quickly finished the handseals before the Konoha Jinchuuriki regained interest.

"Fuuja Houin!"

Sasuke screamed as the sealing Kanji glowed around him and began creeping up his back to form a circle around the Cursed Seal. Naruto tilted his head to watch the process, a look of interest across his face. After a few seconds, the glow dissipated and Sasuke slumped forward. He was beat.

"Sattae...guess I'll take him to the infirmary for the rest of the day. What are you going to do Naruto?"

Kakashi frowned as he took in his young friend's demeanour. His head was down and his muscles were tensed as if he was ready for something. Kakashi's warning sense blared at him. Something was wrong.

"Oi, Hebi-chan. How long you gonna hide in the corner for?"

A deep, throaty chuckle echoed creepily around the expansive basement, the temperature suddenly feeling frigid to the Elite Jounin. The air became suffocating, as if a snake had wound itself around his neck and was constricting his Trachea slowly but surely. He heard footsteps, the sound of thunder on the floor with every moment they approached. Kakashi's head whirled around to stare at the dangerous missing-nin as he melted from the shadows between two concrete pillars a few metres away. It was Orochimaru.

"Who invited you? Wasn't your arm a big enough hint that you're not welcome?"

Kakashi didn't know what was scarier: Naruto's total disrespect of one of the most volatile Shinobi on the continent, or the look of utter hatred that was directed at him by the traitor.

"Your wit precedes you, child. Maybe I need to teach you another lesson; my curriculum from yesterday seems to have been ignored."

Kakashi planted his feet; his left arm reached up to grab the wrist of his right. He was ready to power up a Raikiri at a moment's notice.

"Orochimaru."

He was clad in a standard Shinobi's outfit, a dull grey, generic vest with standard blue trousers and metal-backed, fingerless gloves. His fang-shaped earring dangled from his right ear, but there was no sign of a Hitai-ate anywhere on his person. The genius of the Legendary Three raised an inverted palm. His sight slid over to the one-eyed Sharingan user like a serpent tracking its prey.

"I'm afraid I'm not here to see you Kakashi-kun. I'm here for the boy behind you."

Naruto snorted and the two enemies' gazes were drawn to him once again.

"I dunno about you, but he doesn't look like a boy to me! Then again, you'd know all about that, won't you?"

Orochimaru snarled in anger. This brat always managed to break his cool somehow. He needed to dispose of his quickly.

"You impudent fool! Can you not see that your strength is no match to mine?!"

He flexed his left arm as if to prove his point.

"Oh! You got a new arm! That's handy! Where'd you buy it from?"

The look of absolute fury began to twist into something even worse, but after a moment the Missing-nin took a deep breath and looked up with a crooked smile stretching his face once more.

"Kukuku, you are indeed very lucky Kakashi-kun. You already have your hands on it. You didn't used to have it did you?"

"What are you talking about?"

His grin turned manic.

"That Sharingan in your left eye."

Kakashi stiffened imperceptibly. Naruto's eyes caught the movement as his gaze shifted between them quickly.

"What do you want?"

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Why those eyes of course! The Hidden Sound, is my village. You should..."

He turned and began walking back into the shadows. He wasn't a fool. The Uzumaki child was hard enough to deal with on his own. Adding Kakashi onto the list and he wasn't sure if he could escape unharmed. Just before his body fell back into the shadows, he turned a single gleaming eye to his audience.

"...understand from just that."

Kakashi held his gaze. He didn't flinch at the flash of madness that emanated from the very depths of his being.

"Foolish ambitions."

Orochimaru chuckled again.

"That may be so. The fact is, I need the pieces to the puzzle."

Naruto shifted slightly but Kakashi sent him a warning look.

"So the Sharingan is only a piece too."

Orochimaru threw back his head and laughed a chilling laugh. His hair fluttered about his cranium and settled above his eyes which did nothing to prevent the insane glow from peeking out behind them.

"That and my little Genin upstairs. They're nothing but my pawns!"

His eyes squinted slightly into a defiant look of confidence.

"Sasuke will seek me out for power, for that is what lies within his heart. He's an avenger. Itachi saw to that."

He was startled by the laughter that tore from the mouth of the blond-haired Jinchuuriki and for a moment, the shock was evident on his face.

"Man...you're dumb, aren't you Hebi-chan? You think Sasuke's gonna come to you just 'cause of what happened when his family died?! Looks like you're gettin' too old! Or did I bust you up too badly back then?"

Orochimaru stared at him intensely. Could it be true, was there something he was missing? It wasn't possible. The only other Uchiha that had lived was his cousin Shisui. His spies had made sure to relay every bit of information that they found. He couldn't be wrong, not now, not so late in the game. Where was this foolish insurance coming from for the Kyuubi's vessel to make such a bold claim?

He shook himself mentally. It was a bluff, a psychological game to throw him off. For some reason he couldn't get rid of Kakashi's look of surprise from the Jinchuuriki's statement. Without a word, he slipped into the darkness once again.

"And let me remind you, Hebi-chan. You dare touch Shisui and we're gonna kill you."

Only silence followed his threat.

XXXXXXXX

"The fifth match: TenTen vs. Temari. Would the two contestants please enter the arena?"

The brown-haired weapons-mistress stared down into the ring confidently. She wouldn't lose, especially not to a Suna Genin. She glanced up to see an equally confident blonde haired girl with her hair done up in four pigtails, plod down the stairs calmly, a fan almost as large as her body attached to her back. Fans usually meant Wind Chakra and Fuuton techniques were one of her weaknesses. Then again, there was no telling how well the girl could use the unwieldy weapon in the first place.

She didn't waste any time in getting to the arena floor. She nodded at Lee's exuberant calls for her assured victory and the calculating look Neji pierced her with. She shrugged off the thumbs-up bestowed by her Sensei. That was corny. She shivered as the air of the vast chamber swept over her form. She felt so insignificant in a room so big with the audience gazing down on her. This wasn't how Shinobi were meant to battle. It was cloak-and-dagger stuff not a competition for the masses.

"The rules are the same as I mentioned earlier. You can do whatever I want and you win if you knock your opponent out or I step in."

Gekkou Hayate coughed into his hand before continuing.

"My decisions are final. If you don't stop when I tell you..."

He coughed again, this time harsher than before.

"I will step in and stop you myself."

TenTen nodded in acceptance and turned to see her opponent studying her with steel blue eyes. The colour wasn't as vibrant as Naruto's, she lacked the same joy and sparkle that his delphinium depths possessed. The girl, Temari, smirked at her as if victory was already decided. The proctor's arm fell and the match began with a simple command.

Almost immediately, the spectators fell silent. TenTen regarded her opponent nervously. It was true that Wind was her biggest weakness, but that all depended on the fact that she actually could use Elemental Ninjutsu in the first place. She wouldn't put it past the Suna-nin to carry weapons as a sort of fake threat. At any rate, she couldn't allow her fellow Kunoichi to set the pace of the fight.

TenTen snapped her arms out, flinging two Kunai with precision at her opponent. Temari grinned sadistically, slamming the base of the fan to the floor without blinking an eye. The deadly daggers bounced harmlessly off of the metal ridging with a small 'Ping!'

"Pathetic. I won't even have to open this to defeat you."

TenTen glared with all her might. How dare she bait her like that?! If she wanted a fight so badly, she'd be happy to oblige!

Without missing a beat, she sprang forward, a puff of smoke heralding the arrival of a sleek, white Katana in the fist of her right hand. She jumped into a crouching stance, the blade held parallel to the ground, and began stalking her prey. For now, the floor was hers; she would see if the Suna Genin could hold up to her words.

In an instant, she was in front of her, arms swinging in a deadly arc of biting steel. The clang of metal-on-metal rattled her teeth and she looked up in shock. Temari had blocked her strike effortlessly, using the edge of her fan once again.

"Weapons huh? Maybe this'll be more interesting than I thought!"

Irrational anger welled up within her mind. She felt inferior; maybe it was something wrong with her, something that came to the forefront whenever someone believed her a pushover.

"_Orphans don't have a place in the world, that's why we take you in. We expect you to enrol in the Shinobi Academy when you reach six years of age."_

_Expect, or force?_

'_Why? Why is it always like this? Just when I thought I've caught up, I feel as if I've fallen behind again...'_

She swung wildly, but it was blocked again, the sword ripped from her grasp in a surprising show of strength. The Katana clattered to the floor but she hardly realised. She rolled backwards to avoid the fan from slamming into her nose, leaping up to let loose as many weapons as possible. She kept throwing. Throwing and throwing, until her arms became heavy and her breath laboured.

But still she threw.

But then she realised her Utility Pouch was empty. She glanced up to see Temari snapping her fan closed, the noise sharp in the silent room.

"I'm surprised! I didn't know someone could keep that many weapons on them! I actually had to open my fan..."

"_We'll put you in the Orphanage. Don't worry, it's a nice place. You'll be given meals and all you'll have to do is help out when the staff ask you to."_

_In other words, prison without bars._

_She remembered walking through the front door, looking back to find a dirty mop of blond hair taking shelter underneath the shade of the single tree on the right side of the path. Her arm was jerked in her socket and she cried out in pain._

"_Don't look at that...that boy."_

_She said it like it was poison._

She cried out as a blast of wind slammed into her torso, her back arcing in pain as she hurtled towards the wall. She managed to turn just in time and broke her flight with her arms. They were numb; the shock of the collision made her muscles tremble and her legs feel weak. She felt dizzy beyond anything she had felt before.

She raised her eyes to her enemy. She stared into the light blue gaze that held such contempt for her.

"_Yeah this is TenTen! She loves all your swords and stuff!"_

'_They're blue, but not blue...'_

She shouted out her challenge, her weapon scrolls unfurling around her as she leapt into the air once more. Her hands blurred as she flung weapon after weapon at blinding speeds, the deadly Soushouryuu that Naoto-san had taught her raising its deadly head. The storm of metal cleared and her opponent still stood.

"Not yet!"

Her fingers twitched, Chakra Strings becoming taut as she redirected them at her foe once more. She only had time to see Temari wince in pain and anger as a shuriken sliced her arm. She pulled her fan fully open.

What followed was blurry to TenTen. She was hit by...something, something so big that she was thrown around the arena like a ragdoll. She didn't know how many times she hit something solid but when she opened her eyes to the spinning concrete, she was on the floor.

She had no more weapons, nothing she could use, no last move to defeat her enemies. Was this the extent of her power, the limit to her skills? She raised a shaky hand to her waist to clutch at an aching pain on her hip. Her hand brushed something smooth and solid. Trembling, she pulled it from her belt.

Metal flashed in the bright white lights attached to the ceiling of the arena, the blade bounced before settling a hand span from her face.

"_You like pointy things right? I thought you would like them 'cause it's pointy see?"_

It was the dagger Naruto had given her for her ninth birthday. She had never mentioned it to him, but it had been the first birthday she had celebrated.

The first birthday she had ever received a gift.

The emerald dragon looked as if it was considering her, whether she was worthy of wielding it or not. It flashed as she turned her head to look at it fully. It hadn't changed; it was still the most beautiful blade she had seen in her life. The hilt was crafted from varnished mahogany, so expertly, that it looked more like brown ceramic than the wood it actually was.

"_Those are the Bunshin, Kawarimi and Henge techniques. I've already learnt them so you can go ahead and keep them, although I could never pull off the Bunshin. Maybe you'll be able to do it?"_

That's right, she knew more than this. She knew different Ninjutsu too. She pushed herself to her feet, staggering but then steadying herself by placing a hand on the wall. She reached down for the dagger, pausing when she was about to pick it up. Why was she hesitating?

"_I can't trust you, not with this.'_

He'd said those words with pain in his eyes, and she realised it now. She'd hurt him far more than he'd hurt her. Up till now, her apology hadn't seemed genuine but now it was different.

'_Do I deserve...should I be trusted with this?'_

When the fight had broken out, the audience had begun shouting. It had melded in with the beating of her heart and the scream of her knives. But now she realised that the crowd had gone silent once again. What was happening? Was the match over? Had she lost? Where was the proctor?

'_I don't deserve this. Look at her, staring at me like that. I'm losing because I don't have anything else to go on. I-I'm just...'_

'_I'm just weak...'_

She felt a small displacement of air behind her, almost as if someone had placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know better than anyone who you really are. Why aren't you usin' any Jutsu? What happened to all those scrolls I leant you?"

Her head spun so fast that she felt it click. There was nothing there, but it had been Naruto's voice. She felt something well up inside her heart, an iron-clad resolve so strong, that it enveloped her in a feeling of such strength that her fatigue almost completely disappeared.

'_I will do this! I will win, and I won't hold back anymore!'_

She sprang up, racing for the centre of the arena. She burst forth from the cloud of smoke hanging in the air, the furling grey conforming to her body as she blossomed from the swirling gas. Her hands whipped through handseals. What was wind's natural weakness?

Fire!

"KATON: GOUKAKYU NO JUTSU!"

The crowd roared into life as a ball of fire exploded towards the Suna Kunoichi. She didn't react for a second and it was for that reason that she lost. The shock of seeing her opponent releasing a deadly Jutsu just moments after being floored by her strongest technique...

She could still make it in time! Temari snapped her fan completely open and swung it in a full circle. She was too late. With a large 'BOOM!' the arena shook as the ball of flame engulfed her in a roaring abyss. The audience screamed. She could hear Lee and her Sensei shouting something, the Kunoichi's teammate was saying something too, but nothing was computing within her mind.

The room froze when in a burst of smoke; a certain blond-haired stand-in proctor appeared crouched at the centre of the arena. The fireball simply winked out, revealing the unconscious form of a smoking pig-tailed blonde.

"Yo Jiji!"

ZZZZZZZZ

Aaaand CUT! BWAHAHAHAHA! I left you all with a cliffhanger! Sorry about that but I had to do it this way or it would have been too long! If I'd included the rest of what I had planned, this chapter would have been well over 15k words!

I'm really sad right now. 'Cloud Age Symphony' has been completed and it felt like a rush-job. It was such an awesome story but it looks like withRainyEyes simply ran out of interest. Can't say I blame him.

Chapter notes:

**Ten no Juuin - Heaven Seal**  
**Wearer: Uchiha Sasuke, Mitarashi Anko**

This seal was attached to both Leaf ninja by Orochimaru.

**Kakashi's Fuuja Houin**  
**Wearer: Uchiha Sasuke**

Hatake Kakashi attempted to seal the Heaven Seal placed on Sasuke by Orochimaru. It was hoped the seal would help prevent the cursed seal from activating on Sasuke's neck.

**Soushouryuu - Twin Rising Dragons**

**Character Use:** TenTen  
**Rank:** -  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
**Type:** Attack  
**Special note:** Anime Only

Soushouryuu is a Ninjutsu technique developed by the Leaf ninja Tenten. Tenten uses this summoning technique to take advantage of her deadly accurate ability to throw edged weapons. Tenten generally only uses this technique as her trump card. To begin, she will will remove her two scrolls and set them on the ground, after forming the necessary hand seals, the two scroll rise into the air and begin to swirl around a middle vortex. Tenten then uses this space to launch herself into the air between the spinning scrolls. From these scrolls she can then summon her weapons which she then begins to throw at her opponent. If the first barrage fails, she can use wires that run from each weapon to her fingertips to pull them back into the air to strike at her opponent again. Unfortunately this attack is very vulnerable to wind based attacks.

And that's that! Thank you to InARealPickle for allowing me to use a certain idea which I'm sure she'd spotted by now. On a final note, I may not be able to update for a month because my exams start in two weeks. Have no fear, I will finish this!

Ja ne!

~MegaB


	38. Chapter 38

Welcome to 38 everyone! Sorry for the delay but as I said, it's exam time and I've hardly had any time to write. HOWEVER! Dreamweaver Mirar is graduating today and he said that it would be a great present if he had a new chapter and well...It made me so sad unfortunately...

Review Highlights go to luckykas (sorry for putting this up so late, it should have been last chapter!), Akitesyu for saying, and I quote, 'You're all growed up now!', Shivakashi just because she's so awesome that she just has to be put up here (!) and finally Dark Prime who recited to me an idea as if he'd peeked into my head. Seriously, how DID you manage that?!

Fanfic Rec goes to 'Alone I Suffer' by GrimMalice (Thank you knuckz!). As many of you will undoubtedly find out, a scene from his chapter 12 has been posted in my profile for the longest time since I'd forgotten where it was from. Looking back on it now, I can really see why I enjoyed the story and I hope all of you do too!

So Chapter 38. I'll leave you to it!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

**The room froze when in a burst of smoke; a certain blond-haired stand-in proctor appeared crouched at the centre of the arena. The fireball simply winked out, revealing the unconscious form of a smoking pig-tailed blonde.**

"**Yo Jiji!"**

ZZZZZZZZ

"Yo Jiji!"

The smoke from TenTen's hasty Fire Jutsu slowly dispersed to reveal the crouching form of Konoha's Jinchuuriki. His legs were bent beneath him, both hands resting on his thighs as he glanced up at the proctors' podium in front of the large stone statue of a Shinobi holding the Ram seal. The audience held their breath as the cloud slowly filtered away. A murmur ran through them from the way the boy had addressed the most powerful Ninja within Fire Country.

Nara Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he took in the sight before him. He'd observe for now.

Naruto's head twisted to the side to avoid the speeding edge of a Katana held in the tight clutches of the sickly-looking Jounin who had appeared behind him without a sound. In a flash of movement, he held his Ryu-Zashi within his hands one blocking a strike to his neck whilst the other swung for the body of his attacker. This guy was strong! With a grunt of exertion, Gekkou Hayate forced the edge of the Wakizashi away from him, spun in a tight circle, and aimed once again for the trespasser's neck.

'_He's slower than me, he won't make it in time...'_

"ENOUGH! Hayate, stand down!"

The Jounin's eyes widened as he realised what had happened. His eyes trailed down to lock with the glowing cerulean of his opponent. They were confident and strong. The crowd on the balconies gasped in shock.

They stood at the centre of the arena, blades held to their opponent's neck. Naruto's right arm was tilted upwards; his other Wakizashi poised for a chest thrust that would have ended the Sword-Master's life.

'_I-Impossible! The only way that could have happened would be if he had suddenly sped up! So this is the boy Yuugao has been talking about...'_

"Hayate, I said stand down!"

The proctor for the final exam shook his head slowly as Naruto pulled his blade from his neck. He was relieved to find that the bite of steel hadn't penetrated his skin. Slowly, he sheathed his blade and coughed into his hand. Naruto held his gaze for a moment longer before turning to the Hokage.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Naruto grinned fiercely.

"Ah, well I just came to tell ya' that I met Orochimaru in the Forest."

Another gasp went up, this time from the Jounin. The Genin looked up at their teachers in puzzlement. Shikamaru tilted his head to the side as he continued to scrutinise the blond down in the arena.

'_He has no headband, he's not a Shinobi. Why is he dressed like one?'_

Sarutobi closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. Now that the information was out, he would have no choice but to make his move. He should have anticipated something like this would happen. Naruto hadn't been briefed with the other Jounin and Anko must have forgotten to tell him once he entered the forest. He sent a stern glance to the purple-haired Kunoichi and she shrugged sheepishly. This was a tricky situation. He had no doubt that his traitorous student was monitoring the exam in some way, so what he revealed now would tip the balance.

"I heard."

Naruto shrugged off-handedly. He spun his Wakizashi and slipped them into their sheaths, the light catching off the edge and reflecting into the eyes of the onlookers who reflexively shielded their gaze.

"Neh, Asuma-Sensei. Who is he?"

Asuma glanced at his only female student warily. He didn't know if the information was classified yet or not. Ino had a right to know since she was in the exam too.

"Uzumaki Naruto. He's a civilian who was called in to do traps and run interference in the Second Exam."

Chouji's bag of chips fell to the floor in surprise.

"Wait...so he was the guy who-"

"YOU MEAN HE WAS THE ONE WHO STUCK US TO THOSE WATERBOARDS AND THREW US DOWNRIVER?!"

Shikamaru sighed and palmed his face. Asuma shrugged.

"Probably."

Ino turned to look at the blond boy, a scandalised expression caught on her face. She huffed in indignation when Naruto tilted his head and winked at her.

"Sensei, is there something you're not telling us here?"

The Sandaime's son took great care in keeping his facial features straight. The Nara boy was smart, maybe too smart. Whilst it was great that he had such an intelligent mind, his natural curiosity and his thirst for answers might land him in some perilous situations. Asuma fixed a single eye on his charge.

"Yes."

He saw the spark of recognition in the boy's eyes. Good, at least he understood what he was getting himself into. Asuma remained sceptical as the Shadow-User turned back to scrutinising the newcomer with an intensity that was very unlike his ephemerally constant lethargy. He glanced around the room to find most of the other Jounin Sensei having similar conversations with their Genin, albeit not along the same lines of his own exactly. A few of them were snarling and looked to be attempting to start a fight with the young civilian; it was amazing how prior events disappeared from the minds of the youth when they got worked up.

"Did you see that?"

Asuma nodded slowly before facing Kurenai.

"I did."

She shot him a disgruntled look.

"Well? Was it Wind Chakra?"

Sarutobi Asuma remained silent for a moment. That was the only explanation for what had happened, but for someone to be that proficient...

"Did you teach him?"

It was Kurenai's turn to be on the receiving end of a sharp gaze this time.

"Of course not! Do you think the Sandaime would have allowed me to? I don't even know the kid!"

"But you know something else, don't you?"

Asuma looked away from his friend. His eyes ran over the grinning visage of Konoha's Jinchuuriki. He remained crouched in the same position he had appeared in, his body tensed like a coiled spring. His sapphire eyes were alert and darting around the room, analysing and memorising everything they could. Everything about the kid shouted 'TRAINED!' and yet he neither knew nor understood how the child may have attained the strength that he had.

"Are you wondering why he beat Hayate in speed?"

Kakashi quickly found himself rooted to the spot by two pairs of eyes. He smiled, his only visible eye curling up into the expression his peers hated so much.

"And I don't suppose you'll let us in on that secret?"

"Nope!"

Kurenai sighed in exasperation. How typically...Kakashi the entire affair was.

"It seems young Naruto is bursting with the Flames of Youth!"

"Literally, or theoretically?"

All three Jounin stared at the ex-ANBU captain as if he had grown a second head.

"What? He shut up didn't he?"

Asuma groaned audibly.

"Let's just watch what's going on, ok?"

XXXXXXXXX

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Uchiha Sasuke sat bolt upright as if a bomb had exploded outside his window. Sweat poured from his brow and his eyes darted around the room as if expecting something to jump out from any angle at a moment's notice.

Frantically, he jumped out of the hospital bed he had been confined to, immediately patting himself down to make sure he was still in one piece.

"If he's turned me into a girl again...."

He couldn't find any physical change in his muscular physique but he wasn't convinced. Naruto had knocked him out saying that he would help Kakashi with the sealing process of the weird seal that had appeared after Orochimaru had bitten him. If that was the case, he had no idea what seal had been placed upon his person and worse still, what it did to him.

"What would change? What would be the best place to check?!"

His mind worked a mile a minute to come up with the most logical answer, and as if a light-bulb suddenly lit up above his head, he threw down his trousers along with his boxer shorts to check the most obvious difference in the male and female anatomy. He breathed out slowly as he found himself in the same state he had been in since he'd been born.

'_Thank God!'_

Unfortunately, that thought wouldn't last. His head snapped to the open doorway as he heard a decidedly feminine gasp. His eyes caught the sight of one of the hospital's nurses frozen in the process of closing the room's door behind her. They stood still for another few seconds.

"...I'll come back later."

She turned and legged it from the inspection room, the door slamming with an odd sort of finality in her wake.

A bird chirped loudly from the tree opposite his room. Sasuke screamed in frustration, quickly pulling his trousers up and throwing himself under the covers of his bed.

What had he done?!

XXXXXXXX

"The total cost for the damage to the forest of death appears to have reached six figures..."

Anko's left eyebrow twitched uncontrollably. Did Naruto know the meaning of 'restraint'?! She glanced up at his face to find that stupid grin of his stretching from ear-to-ear.

Probably not.

"Alright charge it from my account. The brat's gonna have to pay for this one big time."

The Chuunin nodded lamely and began scribbling something on his notepad. Naruto was still conversing with the Hokage about his antics in Training Arena 44. She had been observing the Sandaime's interested expression with growing concern. What was her esteemed leader planning?

Naruto nodded lightly from something Sarutobi said and plodded back to the two Kunoichi who had been fighting just moments before.

"Hey TenTen! How's it going?"

The Weapons-mistress smiled happily at her blond friend and walked up to stand beside him. She hugged him quickly and he shot her a confused look.

"What was that for?"

TenTen shrugged, her face still beaming.

"Oh, nothing."

Naruto shrugged perplexedly and turned to deconstruct the Earth Jutsu that had protected the unconscious Suna Kunoichi from certain death.

"Did you really have to go that far?"

It was Tenten's turn to shrug.

"It was a no-holds-barred battle. It's not like she was pulling any punches."

Naruto hoisted the girl up on his shoulders and half carried, half dragged her body to where the Medic-nin were scurrying towards them. TenTen kept pace, her mood considerably lightened. She couldn't even feel the effects of her fight from just minutes before.

"I knew it was you in the forest! Neji got caught in one of the gel traps and then-did you really turn the TSS into a trap?!"

"Yup!" He chirped.

"I see..." She replied faintly. Only Naruto could do something like that with innocent nonchalance. Sometimes she thought that he was everything that epitomised what being a Shinobi was about but then that was thrown out of the window and crushed when he did something so completely ludicrous.

"So how did you like the test?"

TenTen grinned at him.

"It was definitely....interesting."

The blond Jinchuuriki let out a short bark of laughter as he transferred the catatonic body of Gaara's sister to the stretcher that had been placed in front of him. Having accomplished his task, he turned and began making his way back to the Proctor's Podium.

"You should get back to your team, I'm sure they're happy that you won."

TenTen nodded and was about to turn away when she paused.

"What's up?"

In a quick movement, she hugged him one more time and skipped away.

'_Thank you...thank you for giving me another chance. Thank you for supporting me, for helping me, for encouraging me. Thank you Naruto.'_

Naruto's shocked expression morphed into a smile as he stared at her retreating back. It was a start, a good start. TenTen was returning to how she used to be, but without the arrogant stubbornness she once held. It amazed him how other people could change so easily; it was as if all they needed was a slight push in the right direction, and then they would move off on their own. How many people had he seen that happen to? TenTen and Gaara were the most obvious ones, but he was sure there were more. He didn't know what he would have done if TenTen had not been serious about fixing her own mistakes.

His smile fell as he noticed one other person looking at him who hadn't.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage.

As he made his way back to Anko's side, he wondered if his Jiji would ever apologise and regret the actions he had done. Was it too much to ask? Could it have been he who was mistaken? He shook his head quickly. No, it was definitely his fault; you can't treat people like objects, even as a leader. Wouldn't it make a better and more trustworthy superior if they cared about their subordinates?

Sarutobi Hiruzen discussed his decision in a low voice. He spoke quickly, presenting the plan to the Proctors of the Exams. When he had finished, he clasped his hands behind his back and waited for the inevitable outcry.

"Wha- You don't mean- you can't do that Hokage-Sama!"

Sarutobi fixed a stern gaze on one of the Chuunin helpers.

"I don't believe you have a say in this matter Iwashi-san. The decision will be made by the ones in charge here. What do you think Anko?"

Anko glanced up from studying the concrete floor.

"Why are you doing this?"

The Sandaime's eyes softened as he witnessed the emotion and care she displayed for her friend. If only he had the luxury of such things...

"I confess that I am curious as to where he stands as compared to his counterparts."

Anko snarled within her mind; wasn't that just typical of him?

"You know what he's capable of! What was Yuugao doing on our team if you hadn't been observing him?!"

"So you noticed then?"

"Of course we noticed! Hell, _Naruto was the first to notice_!"

Anko caught the slight wince that passed over the old Hokage's features. It served to calm her slightly. At least he regretted some of his past decisions.

"Be that as it may, I want to see how he will perform against someone of his age group."

Anko sighed tiredly.

"OK, who do you have in mind?"

Sarutobi stroked his white goatee slowly.

"How about Hyuuga Neji?"

"That's overkill, Sandaime-Sama."

The two turned to face the interruption to their conversation.

"What do you mean Hayate-kun?"

"He could have killed me."

Sarutobi held his gaze for a moment longer.

"Surely he only had you by sur-"

"Exactly. There are no second chances in a real battle. For all intents and purposes, I was dead."

He coughed into his hand before continuing.

"I'm a Jounin, they're Genin. It doesn't take maths to work out who will win."

The Sword-Master degenerated into another coughing fit, this one worse than the last and Anko moved to thump his back but was stopped before she could do any more damage.

"If you two insist. I want to see how he fights. First hand. This is not a request."

Hayate shrugged and turned towards the electronic board that had been set up along the left side of the wall.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Anko. I do believe I am."

The purple-haired Mitarashi shrugged and faced the audience once again. Kakashi was reading his book and the rest of the observers with chattering excitedly. The only Genin who didn't seem to be partaking in the excitement was the very Shinobi the Hokage had singled out to face her young friend.

'_I feel sorry for you.'_

The white-eyed boy frowned in her direction and tossed his hair. Anko's sympathetic smile turned predatory.

'_Scratch that! I'm gonna laugh so much when he kicks your butt!'_

Naruto approached the Proctor's Podium once more and came to rest in-front of the Hokage. The old leader smiled benignly and motioned the Genin in the audience with his hand.

"Naruto-kun. We are a Genin short and we would like you to take part in one of the matches. Is that alright with you?"

Naruto frowned in confusion, shooting a glance at Anko for an explanation. She shrugged and looked away. So she knew it was coming...

"Why do you want me to fight?"

Sarutobi stepped off the raised platform and placed a hand on the blond boy's shoulder. He honestly cared for Minato's son dearly; he knew that he had been dealt the short end of the stick his entire life and he had attempted to make it easier for him. But the way Naruto had grown wasn't the way a Shinobi was meant to; maybe he did regret granting him access to those skills and allowing him to divert from the Ninja Academy. He had still grown admirably; he had become a child with a sense of fairness and right and wrong that were commendable. In many ways, he was just like his parents and yet Sarutobi knew that he was too far gone to do what was necessary. Still, it was that very mindset, that motivation that had allowed his father to become the World's Strongest Shinobi and Kage to grace the Elemental Nations. He would be a fool to ignore such budding potential. It was far different than with the case of Itachi; Naruto was ready and willing to face his problems even if he had to throw his insecurities in the gutter to do so.

"It won't be a fight as much as it will be a spar for you. Your opponent is only well-versed in Taijutsu and so there shouldn't be any lasting damage when the fight concludes."

Sarutobi felt unease as Naruto held his gaze with eyes that appeared to glow a brilliant shade of Delphinium.

'_Is this what Minato's enemies felt before they met their end?'_

"Why do you really want me to fight?"

"Ah."

He was caught, he knew that. There would be no point in lying now. Naruto was an intelligent boy. Sometimes he wished that Minato had still been alive to take care of him, maybe then he would have trusted him more.

"I want to see how strong you really are."

Naruto smiled and Sarutobi almost gasped. It was a small, beautiful smile, a smile he hadn't been given for years. His heart almost stopped from the shock.

"Naruto...y-you-"

"I'll fight Jiji."

The Sandaime straightened up, his body filled with a warmth he could barely describe. He had felt the same emotion when Konohamaru had been born, the first time he had crawled into his arms and fallen asleep on his lap. He'd felt the same emotion when his grandson had randomly wobbled into his office and placed a wet, soggy kiss on his cheek.

"Next Match: Hyuuga Neji vs Uzumaki Naruto."

The two boys moved to stand facing each other, Neji scowled heavily at his opponent.

"What happened to your hair Shirogan-Tenshi?"

Neji snarled. He would destroy this boy as soon as the match began. Gekkou Hayate stepped between them just in case the Uzumaki set him off.

"Since Naruto wasn't here for the rules I will explain them once again."

He coughed twice before continuing.

"This match will be like a real battle. You can use whatever skills you want even if they are life-threatening. There is only one rule: If and when I judge the match to be over, you will stop fighting. Is that understood?"

Naruto nodded, Neji glared.

"Alright," Hayate coughed again, "you're both from the Leaf so let's try not to have a bloodbath here. Also, please don't use any wide-area Jutsu that would affect the audience. Now, if you're ready..."

This time both of them nodded, their eyes drilling holes in each other. Hayate raised his hand and slashed down in a chopping motion.

"Begin!"

Neji sprang forward, dropping straight into a crouch, his right leg stretched out in front of his body. His arms raised up, one in the front, inverted, the other pointing backwards palm-down. His head snapped up to glare at the source of his ire.

"Hakke: Rokujou yonshou!"

He stepped within Naruto's guard, lightning-quick. His arms pin-wheeled about their sockets striking with deadly precision. Naruto had no time to bring up any sort of defence and Neji smirked victoriously. He had won.

Naruto grunted, pain tearing through his torso so fast and sharp that he didn't know where he was actually being hit. Maybe it was just a few places, maybe it was his entire body, he neither wanted to know neither did he care. Neji was using some sort of Chakra attack, of that he was sure, but it seemed like Taijutsu only.

Neji slammed his fingers home again and again. He completed the first thirty-two strikes in seconds. He spun backwards, rotating on the balls of his feet before stepping into range and letting loose another volley of Jyuuken strikes to the Tenketsu of his opponent. He should have been down, he should be looking up from beneath his feet. Neji hated it when he couldn't achieve something but there was no way the blond civilian would win this match let alone defeat him.

With a final flourish, he bent and charged his right hand with almost all his Chakra. So much of the blue energy was concentrated in his hand that small aura pulsed around it. His arm snapped out, slamming home over the heart of his enemy. Naruto dry-wretched, the muscles in his neck contracting and his eyes almost popping from their sockets. The prideful Hyuuga jumped back and landed in stance, surveying the damage and waiting for the idiot to fall to the ground.

'_Why won't he fall?'_

Naruto was hunched over, his arms hanging limply beside his body. For all Neji knew, he could have been dead. He snorted derisively and stood up straight.

"Proctor, the match has ended."

Hayate stared at the Hyuuga for a second and then shook his head.

"No, I don't think it is."

Someone laughed, or maybe it was a growl, he couldn't tell which. He spun back to see Naruto raising his head, his shoulders shaking.

"How does it feel, to be humbled in front of someone far superior to yourself?"

Naruto chuckled throatily.

"Heh....dunno...n-never been in that position."

Neji lost it. How could he stand there as if he wasn't hurt when he _knew_, he **KNEW** that he could barely stand? What idiocy and incompetence was this.

"YOU ARE IN THAT POSITION RIGHT NOW!"

Naruto straightened his back, only twisting his head to spit a glob of blood from his mouth.

"...Shouldn't you be sayin' that to yourself?"

He couldn't take it anymore. He lunged, fully intent on ending the pitiful slime's life right there and then. Hayate hesitated from jumping between them; Naruto could handle it.

Up in the audience, Team 9 was unusually silent, at least the boisterous pair were.

"Gai-Sensei, what's wrong with him?"

Gai regarded the opponents carefully.

"Lee, remember what I have to say here. It will be important for our team later."

Lee immediately wipped out a writing pad and pen from somewhere on his person and began writing what he thought was important. TenTen sighed; it was most likely everything and anything that came out of Maito Gai's mouth.

Gai nodded towards the ring as Naruto was hit by another barrage of Jyuuken strikes, this time far more ferocious than the first.

"You see, Neji will learn what a true defeat means in this match. There is a very great difference between the opponent who loses himself to rage and the opponent who calmly assesses the situation. Tell me Lee, what type of opponent do you think Uzumaki Naruto is?"

Lee paused in his scribbling to peer over the balcony at the fight below. His eyes returned to his teacher wide with wonder.

"The calm type Sensei!"

Gai smiled at his protégé.

"And tell me TenTen, what type of opponent is Neji-kun at the moment?"

TenTen answered without hesitation.

"He's angry, very angry."

Gai nodded somberly.

"And that is why Naruto-san will win. If Neji was stronger than Naruto then maybe he still would have won, but can you see how he is taking those attacks?"

The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder as they once again turned their eyes to the fight. Every time Naruto would be hit by Neji's fingertips, his entire body would contract and then relax. It was an unconscious movement, something drilled into him from a young age.

"But why is Neji angry, Sensei?"

Gai remained silent for a moment, his eyes studying the fight with an odd air of seriousness that was totally out of place for him.

"We swore to never mention our pasts when we became Team 9, did we not Lee?"

Lee nodded vigorously.

"The Hyuuga clan, as you both know, is split into two houses: the branch house and the main house. Neji was born to the branch house, the sect that exists to serve their siblings in the Main House."

"We know that already Sensei! Neji has told us many times!"

Gai patted his student on the head tenderly.

"That is correct Lee! However, he may just reveal why he has let his emotions get the better of him. Perhaps you should pay more attention to this fight, my cute little students."

Neji followed through with a final strike, this time aiming for the Cerebellum; the one place that would kill his opponent. He lunged, but his wrist was caught in a firm grip. Neji was seething now; he couldn't believe that this piece of trash was still standing!

"Let go."

They stood just inches apart, and Neji could feel the blonde's breathing tickling the hair on his neck.

"I said let go!"

Naruto looked up, his clear eyes unmoving as he stared into the Hyuuga's pearly orbs.

"No."

Neji tried to yank his arm back, but Naruto held on like a vice.

"How could you possibly know what I've been through?! YOU CAN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ABOUT ME!"

"Then tell me."

It was short, but carried the point perfectly. Neji's mind seemed to be stuck, sluggishly processing his actions as if covered in treacle. How was this possible? How could he take two of those techniques and simply shrug them off?

Two Jounin smiled to themselves privately; this was it.

"You think you've had it so hard don't you? You think that just because you're an orphan, you're entitled to things other people don't have! You know nothing!"

Naruto snorted.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a Shinobi. All you do is run away from the things you should be doing!"

Naruto's hard gaze turned startled and his grip softened. Neji pulled his trapped appendage roughly from his fist and jumped back to gain some space.

"Do you see now? Do you realise how pathetic you are? How can you even begin to judge me WHEN YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME?!"

Naruto glared icily at the Hyuuga in front of him. His arrogance was endless.

"Heh, what are you on about Tenshi? I've never had anything special either."

Neji's face morphed into an ugly snarl, his entire visage flushed from his ire.

"See?! The Hyuuga have been trapped in an endless cycle of misery and hatred that you can never begin to imagine!"

"Yeah? And what was so bad that I could never imagine it?"

Kakashi and Anko winced at that. They saw the Sandaime lower his head in shame.

"My life was condemned to a fate of anguish and pain from the moment I was born! Every being is contained to what their fate dictates them! Everyone in my family was held to their fate! My father, my cousin, my mother!"

Naruto simply stared at his opponent.

"You still don't understand?! My cousin was kidnapped at the age of four by Kumo Shinobi who wanted the secrets of the Hyuuga Doujutsu. The kidnapper was caught and killed by her father, my uncle. Cloud demanded a ransom, they demanded a Hyuuga be sent for punishment and my father was sent in place of my uncle. My father died. He died protecting the Main House from the fate they endured, his own fate declaring his death."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"You're blaming it on fate? Your dad died and all you can say is that it was because of fate?"

Neji's anger only grew.

"Then what about the very same cousin?! She became an introvert, a shy and friendly person. I wanted to despise her, to hate her for branding me with this accursed seal. She never retaliated, never shouted or screamed when things went wrong. I thought she was weak, a fool who could not handle her own fate."

"What happened to her?"

"She died. She committed suicide. She was a fool to the end, trash that could not stand on their own two legs."

Up in the stands Maito Gai frowned.

"He's lying," He whispered. "Hinata did not die, she was merely contained in the hospital in Ward 18."

"Ward 18? Isn't that where-"

"Yes," Gai answered, his confused gaze landing on TenTen's chocolate brown, "It's the Ward for Comatose Patients."

They turned back to the fight, the entire audience hanging onto every word that was spoken. Naruto had heard Gai's words though and his expression had become angry.

"You say she's a fool because she tried to escape from her pain? She's alive and you refuse to accept that? How low can you go?"

Neji went silent.

"Proctor, I intend to kill him. This piece of trash cannot understand what it is like to be branded with a seal such as this. He does not know the pain and-"

He was hit; Hyuuga Neji was hit so hard that his feet were lifted from the ground. He slammed heavily into the concrete wall of the arena and tried to roll to his feet. Something landed on his back, twisting his arm viciously in its socket. He cried out in pain.

"Say that again."

He strained to turn his head and look at his opponent and at that moment he wished he hadn't. Naruto stared back at him unflinching, his gaze smouldering with a furious flame directed entirely at him. He gasped.

"Finish what you were saying."

Neji was sobbing now, the pain so great that it felt like molten copper running through his veins. His breathing came in short puffs his eyes watering from the intense pressure placed on his aching limbs.

"I-I said you don't understand the pain and suffering I have been through! You do not know the pain of loss, of being confined by a seal from birth!"

Naruto grinned mirthlessly.

"Oh yeah? I understand it...I know it. So what about it?"

He couldn't reply he could only stare with his Byakugan activated at the raging maelstrom of blood-red Chakra that almost blinded his eyes.

"W-What is that? What is that seal?"

Naruto's mouth twisted up even more.

"Your worst nightmare!"

The world went dark for Hyuuga Neji, utterly and completely dark.

ZZZZZZZZZ

AND CUT! Alright, I wanted to go a bit further but I decided to stop it there. I actually had very little time to write this, completing it in one sitting. Thank Dreamweaver and Lainana for that! So here it is DM, your graduation present!

Next update will be after my exams finish in two weeks. This chapter wasn't edited so don't be surprised if you saw some spelling and grammar mistakes. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy it and be sure to leave a review telling me what you think!

Ja ne!

MegaB


	39. Chapter 39

Hello and welcome to the thirty-ninth installment of Naruto's Playground! This chapter is dedicated to the folks down at the K:NP forums for their endless support, encouragement and doses of insanity that have attracted even the likes of Zaion Indulias and Mrriddler. To Lana and Lai, this is for you. For DM, I hope you read this when you get back, and of course to Pickle whose imagination knows no bounds. I'd also like to thank Pryotra for her endless words of wisdom which have allowed me to grow from what I was in chapter 1 to what I am today, and finally to all you readers for simply reading this and enjoying it.

Oh, and if you thought that my opening had an odd sense of finality, you're very mistaken; I'm most definitely not giving up until people begin to hate my writing! :P

Review highlights go to Master Chaos for an especially...._eloquent_ description of what not to do when reading a story, Tsukiko3000 for almost starving to death because my story is just that good (really? I confess that I have no idea what a 'gully-bar' is...), Luckykas for once again reminding me of why I started this story (thank you!), bloodgolore for...well, I'm not sure if this deserves a highlight but I'll just put it up anyway (;D), OBSERVER01 for a motivating review, Orangeman727 for his invaluable feedback, Traitor-hero for not reviewing because he had to click next and knuckz for pointing out my horrendous mistake. Thank you all, especially the people who pointed out the same mistake but I've forgotten all of your names!

This time's Fanfic highlight goes to Mogthegnome's 'The Imprint'. Make sure you suck it up and don't die of laughter because if there's one story that will make your gut turn into mushy goo, it's this one!

And with that we begin chapter 39.

ZZZZZZZZ

"_...What is that seal?!_"

TenTen frowned as she pondered Hyuuga Neji's words. It was true that the Byakugan had a far more vast field of sight than normal human eyes and so he was in a better position to make such a bold claim, but she still felt that it was odd to say something like that. A seal would mean that it was designed to do something, designed to work in a certain way that the user or creator required. She had studies basic Fuuinjutsu with Naoto-Sensei and so she knew the different kinds of seals that could b made.

In total, Fuuijutsu was split into four distinct branches. The first, and most important, were the control seals. These stemmed from activation triggers, to central locations that could be used to direct the rest of the seal. An example of this was the blood activation seal that was widely used on storage scrolls. The second category that led directly from the first were the Chakra seals. These directed the flow of raw Chakra to and from the seal, whether it was to convert a tangible object into a Chakra support or to change the Chakra into a certain element. The third category branched from the Chakra seals and was conveniently named the 'Nature Seals'. These were the seals that directed the transition from raw Chakra into the element required. Naruto used these on his Airboard from what she had seen.

The last application of Fuuinjutsu was also the most complex, yet most widely available, and these were aptly named the 'Storage seals'. Storage seals were so completely different to the other three categories since they could be linked back to each other whereas the Storage variety very rarely could. The only Storage seal she was familiar with was the most simple design used by the majority of the Shinobi populace; the one placed on scrolls in order to carry large quantities of supplies and weapons when speed was required. A few elements of the first three branches of Fuuinjutsu were applied here but when you moved into sealing more complex things, the seal would change dramatically.

From what she had seen of Neji's forehead, which wasn't much since he hated removing his Hitai-ate, the Hyuuga Branch House seal was one of the more simple applications of Fuuinjutsu. It was a simple linking complex tuned to the Chakra of the Main House Hyuuga which induced pain when invoked. It was brutally simple and yet that's all it was. Certainly, TenTen would never be able to design something like that with her knowledge but she'd seen instances when people had come close.

She frowned down at the arena where Neji was thrown like a rag-doll towards the far side of the concrete hall. His body slammed heavily into the solid obstruction and dropped to the floor. A flash of guilt sang through her mind, a distant call that she should feel some sort of anger at how badly her teammate had been punched and yet she couldn't find it in her to care. Naruto had every right to rip him to shreds after what he had said, not that she would approve if he actually _did _that though.

"But Gai-Sensei, why would he lie about his cousin's death?"

TenTen's attention was divverted by Lee's question once again. Gai's eyes shifted to hers and she caught his look of concern.

"Lee, TenTen, normally I would not answer such a question but I think you now deserve to know. It seems that his words in this exam will be a catalyst for things to come."

Gai sighed uncharacteristically, his gaze flicking over to where the Sandaime stood, his head lowered towards the floor of the Proctor's Podium.

"Hyuuga Hinata was...you may remember her. She started the Shinobi Academy in the year below you. She was a shy and kind girl from what I have heard, and yet it was that temperament that made her an ideal target to the hate she received in her family."

The teacher and students glanced up as they heard footsteps; Team 8 had decided to join them. Kurenai frowned at her fellow Jounin disappointedly before gripping the railing with a pale-cream hand. She idly blew a strand of loose raven hair from in front of her eyes before fixing them all with a serious gaze.

"I think, Gai-san, that we shouldn't exaggerate when it comes to he past. It was true that Hinata was exposed to circumstances that could hardly be described as ideal, but to say that they hated her..."

"You were her guardian at the time, were you not? Perhaps this is a story you would like to share with us this time?"

Kurenai's incredulous facade only grew when Teams 7 and 10 joined in, Kakashi taking a seat right in front of her without closing his ever-present book. She glared at the one-eyed Jounin.

"Would you put that away if you want to listen?"

Kakashi smiled as he snapped his book closed. Kurenai was about to do something that she had never done before and he would be a fool to miss it.

"Go on Kurenai, you might as well get this out of the way."

She shot Asuma a disgruntled look but turned back to the fight that had ended a few minutes before. Hayate was checking Neji for a pulse and Naruto was simply standing around with a blank expression on his face.

"I was...given custody over Hinata when she was young, her father having deemed her useless to the Hyuuga name once her younger sister, Hanabi, began to show more promise in their Taijutsu style. She was ejected from her home, from the things she felt were familiar, and for a six year old, that's a truly lonely feeling to have."

Kurenai winced as she said it. There was another here who deserved these words far more than her current audience, but he was staring off into space a couple hundred metres away. Her eyes flickered to Kakashi's but his head was tilted forward slightly, no doubt buried in memories.

"She withdrew into herself. If she had been eccentric before then, she became a recluse after the scorn she faced. She sought a lifeline, a person or a feeling that could grant her even a glimmer of hope so that she may survive her ordeal."

Her eyes turned stony as she glanced back to the Genin watching her with rapt attention.

"She didn't find one. Neji was a big reason for that. He looked down on her whenever they met, believing that she was in some way the cause for his father's sacrifice. She had no friends when she started the Academy, children having felt she was weird because of her timidity. She tried to escape, she became frantic, and that led to her attempt of suicide."

Kurenai faced them fully this time, her hair swirling behind her in a hypnotic motion from her sudden movement.

"They found her hunched over a Kunai, her wrists slit and her stomach pierced up to the hilt. She would have died if I hadn't been out looking for her at the time. She was rushed to hospital but she had lost too much blood..."

She wondered if the dampness on her cheeks were her tears as they made their way down her face. How was it possible to remember these events without feeling the anguish in her heart? Had becoming a Shinobi stripped her of her compassion?

"They saved her heart in time of course, closing wounds is, after all, an Iryounin's speciality. But her brain had been deprived of blood for too long. She wouldn't-"

"She wouldn't, _couldn't_ wake up."

Ino gasped.

"S-Sakura! Wasn't there a blue-haired girl who always sat at the back with that name in our class?"

The pink-haired Kunoichi didn't move, confirming that she too had thought along those lines. Asuma stepped up next to his friend and placed an arm around her shoulders. Kurenai bit back a gasp, her mouth twisting into a painful expression of grief and rage.

"Th-there was one person who suffered far worse than her though. One person, who I'm sure if Hinata had met, would have pulled her out of her darkness."

She turned and stared back at the blond-haired civilian down in the arena. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the group as they followed her sight. The moment was broken when a languid voice spoke up.

"He's strong, far stronger than us. I can understand that Kurenai-Sensei, but can you tell us one thing? Why has Hokage-Sama allowed him to remain a civilian when he could be used in a more useful position as a Shinobi?"

Asuma shot his lazy student a warning look but the fervour in his eyes told him that he would accept the consequences of his question. Asuma grunted.

"We have several theories, but only a few Jounin know the truth and I'm sure the only one here who knows will not care to enlighten us, right Kakashi?"

Kakashi snorted in laughter as he nodded, his single eye glittering with mirth at the hidden warning in the chain-smoking Jounin's words.

"We think that the Sandaime wants to use his abilities in places that Shinobi are unable to."

"And would those....places be related to what he said down there?"

All three Jounin's eyes widened. Asuma coughed as he stared incredulously at the lazy Nara. He never failed to surprise him. Just how intelligent was this boy?! The Nara were raising a monster within their ranks.

Shikamaru regarded the Jounin's shared looks with criticality. He was right. A victorious smirk grew on his face; the sweet feeling of a mystery solved never failed to excite him.

"Forget I said anything."

Ino squawked indignantly as she turned to berate her teammate for not telling them what he had worked out. Asuma sighed as his student winked at him before turning his back and plodding lethargically away with his hands shoved into his pockets. The mood had effectively shattered and the Genin were chattering excitedly amongst themselves. He tilted his head as Kurenai whispered into his ear.

"I never expected him to be this strong though..."

'_Neither did I. Neither did I...'_

XXXXXXXXX

Naruto watched from the sidelines as the Medic-nin stretchered his Hyuuga opponent from the arena, his arm already fitted with a cast where he had placed all of his weight just moments before. His eyebrows were furrowed and his teeth were clenched in an expression that some would say resembled distress. It had barely been a fight, he knew that, but the Sandaime had asked him and this time he had honestly wanted to know his potential.

'_But why though? Why would he want to know how well I can fight?'_

The whole thing seemed a bit dodgy to him. Sure it was a great way to prove his strength but then again, it was against a Genin. Anybody who knew him would be able to tell that he was far beyond that level already. He glanced uncertainly in the Hokage's direction but Sarutobi merely smiled and waved him towards the audience balconies where the rest of the contestants were standing. He shrugged lightly and began the trek to the overhang on the right hand side.

"Uzumaki Naruto...thank you."

Naruto tilted his head in curiosity as he reached the landing, his path blocked by Gaara and his brother.

"Huh?"

Kankurou slapped him on the back lightly.

"You saved Temari duh-brain! She would've been toast if you hadn't put up that Earth Jutsu!"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, that. Yeah well...She probably could've avoided it herself ya know?"

Kankurou snorted.

"Yeah and pigs can fly."

"They can?"

Kankurou sighed.

"No Gaara, they can't but you get the picture!"

An awkward silence descended on the trio. Naruto began to laugh boisterously to the puppet-user's ire.

"Alright ALRIGHT! You don't get it! Forget I said anything then!"

Gaara turned to Naruto slowly.

"Uzumaki Naruto...can pigs fly?"

Naruto stuffed a hand in his mouth to stop his gasping laughter from escaping. He patted his friend on the back and motioned towards the electronic screen as two names flashed up.

_GAARA VS ABUMI ZAKU_

He waved lazily as he walked away from them, Kankurou's voice protesting loudly in his wake over Gaara's continuous questioning of whether pigs really could fly or not. Suddenly, he felt as if he were swimming in thick water, the tension in the air having shot up a notch just by him moving forward. His eyes rose to find the Konoha Genin watching him, some with wide eyes, others suspicious and one pair of orbs calculating. Naruto shifted uncomfortably as he moved to stand next to Team 7 and Kakashi.

"Quite a match down there, eh Naruto?"

He shrugged in an off-hand manner.

"But then, we knew that would happen didn't we?"

Naruto glanced up in surprise to find his one-eyed friend smiling in his direction, his gaze, as always, riveted to the open orange book nestled in his gloved right hand.

"Naruto!"

He winced as TenTen and Lee rushed to his side, one thumping his back exuberantly and the other demanding answers.

"Lee would you cut that out? And TenTen, who cares if I hit him full strength? At least I didn't use the Kazeken on him!"

"Kazeken?"

The small group turned to see Lee and Gai regarding them with incredulous expressions.

"Ah, you see Gai, Naruto here created his own Taijutsu style from scratch."

Gai stood rooted to the spot.

"G-Gai-Sensei....is it true?"

Kakashi turned and winked at his young friend before burying his nose into his book once more. Naruto sighed, just how many times did Kakashi have to do this to him? It was like he enjoyed putting him in tough situations just to see how he would get out.

"Look, if I show you, would you leave me alone?"

Lee nodded enthusiastically. Naruto shrugged and ran through the handseals for a Mud Clone; the doppelganger appearing from the concrete surface of the balcony as if it had always been there. Lee jumped back in surprise and a gasp went up around them.

'_Great, the others are watching too. What is this, a circus?!'_

He strolled up to the clone casually and with a whispered 'sorry', struck the Mud Construct with a fist powered with Wind Chakra. The form was blown clear of the balcony, toppling end-over-end as it dropped to the arena in a shower of brown muck. Naruto cursed as he nursed his throbbing fist; he really, _really_ needed some sort of protection from the vicious backlash. He turned back to his audience to see most of them gaping like a school of fish.

"A-and t-that could have b-been Neji-san?"

TenTen shoved Lee away.

"See? I told you he didn't stand a chance!"

She shot him a small smile which he returned before turning his attention to the two opponents in the arena. The match had already begun and the Oto Genin had just brashly announced that he would 'blow Gaara away'. Naruto noticed that the boy had holes in his palms and winced.

"Oh man....this ain't gonna end well..."

"What do you mean Naruto?"

"Just watch."

Naruto vividly remembered what had become of the ninja who encountered Gaara in the forest. Having more holes than necessary and then actively showing them to the Suna Jinchuuriki? It was like you had a death wish. It didn't take Gaara long to respond.

"Are those....holes?"

"YES! AND I'LL FLATTEN YOU WITH MY ZANKUUHA!"

"Holes should not be empty."

"...huh?"

"Allow me to fill them for you."

What followed was a lot of screaming, one particularly high, girly scream, and then a sound that sounded roughly like someone taking a mouthful of dirt.

Or in Zaku's case, sand.

"Winner: Gaara!"

The spectators couldn't form the words to describe what they had just seen so most decided to just remove that specific memory for the time being. When Gaara appeared next to his older brother in a swirl of golden sand, the puppet-user summed up most of their thoughts.

"Man....what is it with you and holes?"

On the other side of the arena, one pink-haired Kunoichi began to hyperventilate.

XXXXXXX

"There's no doubt about it, that was definitely Fuuton Chakra."

Yuuhi Kurenai's red eyes lingered on the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki before they met with Asuma's.

"But if you didn't teach him then who did? There aren't any other Fuuton users in Konoha, are there?"

Asuma pulled a cigarette from his Utility Pouch and placed it between his lips. At his friend's glare, he retrieved his hand from obtaining the lighter from his pocket too. He sighed tiredly, rubbing his temples in exasperation.

"That's not entirely true. Anyone with the right training can produce a small amount of nature-oriented elemental Chakra. Our alignments are only to show what nature we are most attuned to."

Kurenai pulled a lock of raven hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear absently.

"So you're saying that someone showed him the basics and he learnt from there?"

"That seems like the most logical explanation. But it's strange though..."

Kurenai shot him an annoyed look.

"Of course it's strange! He's mastered his element to such a degree that he can call on it without the need for handseals at all!"

Asuma plucked the cigarette from his mouth and began rolling the stick between his fingers.

"That's not what I meant. Most people can do that too, with the right training of course. I do it with my trench knives after all."

"But aren't they made of Rumidite?"

Asuma squinted at the Proctor's Podium where his father was conversing with one of the Chuunin designated to the exams.

"Rumidite," he echoed, "a rare metal that channels Chakra in any form. You're right Kurenai, they are, but even I can layer normal weapons with Chakra if I need to. Remember the Kunai-throwing exercise we used to do to get them to punch through trees?"

Kurenai nodded hesitantly. What did that have to do with it?

"Well isn't that essentially the same thing? We thought of the wind and moulded our Chakra into layers that would cut through any object as long as the layers were thin enough."

"You mean-"

"Exactly. What we were doing was layering Fuuton Chakra over the blade to increase its cutting power. Naruto seems to be using a variation of the same technique, except he can cause a focused amount to direct the power behind his elbows and most probably the rest of his joints as well. In that way he can speed up his movements to frightening speeds."

Kurenai winced.

"Doesn't that mean that the force behind his punch would be increased as well?"

"Ah, you noticed? That kid..."

"He's probably in a lot of pain right now."

XXXXXXXXX

Naruto winced as a bolt of white-hot pain lanced up his forearm. It was getting worse every time he used the technique and he didn't know how much longer his knuckles could hold out even with the Kyuubi's Chakra healing him after a few minutes. His eyes trailed down to the arena where Rock Lee was facing off with Aburame Shino. He snorted derisively; it wasn't even a fight. The bug user was being thrown around like a marionette in a washing machine under the speed of the Goken. It was lucky that Lee had a sense of pride and Chivalry otherwise Shino would be on the ground with a broken neck by now.

As the match was called in Lee's favour, Naruto noticed TenTen leaning on the balcony beside him.

"Neh, 'Ruto...what you said down there...did you mean it?"

Naruto continued to stare down into the arena as Shino was carted off, Lee jogging excitedly towards the stairs, his fist pumping at the ceiling.

"What did I say?"

"About going through things that we couldn't imagine."

Naruto grinned at her but even she could tell it was strained.

"Heh, you should know the answer to that better than anyone, Ten-chan."

Her eyes widened at the nickname, the one he used to call her by before he left Konoha. She almost gasped in shock but managed to restrain it; there were more important things on her mind right now.

"But what could be worse than being responsible for putting someone in Ward 18?"

She caught it then, his faced flashed through a mixture of emotions before he schooled it again. The beads of sweat that appeared on his brow lingered as the only evidence to his true state of mind.

"I-I know exactly what he meant, Hyuuga Neji. I don't think he's a bad guy, it's just he can't see things for what they really are."

"What do you me-"

"But I'm going to change that! I'm gonna show his stuck up butt that even the Hyuuga can't do anything if people are really out to get them!"

He was avoiding the subject, she knew that, but when the fiery determination entered his eyes she couldn't find it in her to call him on it. He had a right to his secrets, she realised that after so long and she was loath to commit the same mistakes again.

"And how do you plan on doing that, Naruto?"

TenTen jumped as the one-eyed Jounin appeared beside them once again. It was scary how he just seemed to pop up out of nowhere...

"By a prank of course!"

Kakashi palmed his face as he placed his novel into his Utility Pouch.

"Naruto...I'm not cleaning up after you this time do you hear?"

"Eeeh? When was the last time you cleaned up for me?!"

"...That's beside the point. I'm not doing it this time. Plus, I think Tenzou hates having a branch sticking out of his posterior all day."

Naruto broke into a fit of giggles as TenTen sweat-dropped. Naruto stuck a branch up someone's behind?! That was...she didn't even have words to describe that.

"Next match: Sai vs. Inuzuka Kiba!"

They were drawn to the arena once again as the eighth match began.

XXXXXX

"The winners of the Preliminary Matches are as follows: Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, TenTen and Sai of Konohagakure no Sato, Kankurou and Gaara of Sunagakure no Sato and Tsuchi Kin and Dosu of Otogakure no Sato. As we had an odd number of matchups, Nara Shikamaru gets an automatic by and shall move on to the finals as well."

Hayate paused as another fit of coughs wracked his frame.

"As there is an odd number of finalists once again, we will be using a tournament styled one-on-one battle in the finals. You will be matched up with an opponent who you will be required to fight against and display your skills to the general public. This also means that in the first round of the tournament, one person will automatically qualify for the second round without having to fight. Would you please step up and retrieve a number from this box so that we can decide your placements?"

The sickly swords-master gestured towards a plain cardboard box which Anko held out for the Genin to access. Naruto stood to the side as one-by-one; the finalists retrieved their numbers and showed them to Hayate. The Jounin coughed again before waving towards the Hokage.

Sarutobi stepped forwards and regarded the latest generation of Shinobi to grace the elemental nations. Some were strong, far stronger than what was required for qualifying as a Chuunin, but some had the intellect and not necessarily the power to back it up. Each and every individual would be important when squad formations were decided by the upper echelons of their respective Villages.

"Congratulations to you all. In this exam, it has been my pleasure to watch the newest generation of Shinobi and Kunoichi prove their mettle against one another. I hope that we can continue to build an ideal world with each other, one that would bring lasting peace to the nations."

One of the Oto Genin snorted at that and Hiruzen fixed the boy with a stern gaze before sweeping his arms out wide.

"The finals shall take place in one month. Feel free to research your opponents in that time and train to defeat their weaknesses. But take note that in the real world, a Shinobi will be called upon to deliver even when the circumstances are against him. I applaud your bravery and I wish you luck in your attempt at Chuunin. Please remain where you are so that Hayate-kun can inform you of your opponents."

Sarutobi turned and strode towards the door leading from the arena, his cloak whirling around his form in a majestic show of class. He caught the Jounin's eyes and brought two fingers to his chest in the universal sign for a meeting. They nodded as one. When he reached his office in the tower, all five stood before his desk already, their backs straight at attention.

"I would like your thoughts if that is not too much to ask."

Anko and Asuma moved to respond but Kakashi's hand rose and their mouths snapped shut. The ex-ANBU Captain had something to say which was rare in and of itself.

"Yes Kakashi?"

His book was notably absent.

"During the sealing procedure of Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto and I encountered Orochimaru."

"What?!"

A gasp went up around the room, the occupants staring at the one-eyed Jounin in shock. Sarutobi stroked his goatee lightly as his mind raced ahead.

"Well?"

Kakashi's visible eye became hard and it glinted eerily in the flickering candle light.

"He's the Otokage and Jounin Sensei of the three Oto Genin taking part in the exam."

"You mean he was in the arena the entire time?"

Kakashi glanced at Anko furtively.

"That is possible, but I doubt it. Even he would not be foolish enough to try and blend in with the strongest Shinobi of the Leaf present for any extended amount of time."

Sarutobi sat himself heavily in the cushioned chair behind his desk.

"And what did he say?"

"Naruto taunted him at first, it was a bad move. Orochimaru almost became incensed at the idea of a boy mocking him to such an extent. I confirmed that Naruto did remove his arm but he seems to have procured a new one from somewhere."

The disgusted looks of his fellow Jounin only served to focus him more.

"Waaaaaaaait, what?! Naruto 'removed his arm'?! What the hell are you on about Kakashi?"

Anko grinned at Asuma's question, a predatory grin stretching her face.

"Oh yeah, Naruto blew his arm off from the elbow down when he fought that snake in the forest."

"You can't be serious!"

Sarutobi sighed.

"I'm afraid she is, Asuma. Kakashi, did he say anything else we should know?"

Kakashi shifted under his leader's gaze, his hand rising to pull his mask up slightly.

"Nothing that we didn't already know or assume. He confirmed that he was indeed after the Sharingan and that he is the Otokage. Aside from that, he mentioned that he was looking for...ah, the 'pieces to the puzzle' is what he called it."

Sarutobi frowned. Cryptic as always. He sorely regretted raising his student to become what he had.

"Very well. I would also like to announce a decision to you in order to receive your opinions. Do not be startled by what I have to say."

"I intend to offer the position of Godaime Hokage to Naruto-kun."

The room was silent for a while and the Sandaime stuck his fingers in his ears due to the anticipated outburst. He didn't have to wait long.

"WHAT?!"

Asuma and Kurenai shared incredulous looks, whilst the previously silent Gai began ranting about the 'youthfulness of youth'. Anko looked dumbstruck but Kakashi seemed to be the only one unsurprised by the news. Sarutobi really gave him too less credit; he was far more intelligent than he let on.

"Enough! You have all witnessed his strength, his charisma and most of all, his attitude no matter what the world has thrown at him. Wasn't it you, Kurenai, who mentioned that he had the right to hate the world far more than young Hinata did?"

Kurenai looked affronted at the question.

"How did you-"

"I was listening of course."

Kurenai frowned but nodded.

"While that is what I said, the position of Hokage seems a little above that right now..."

"I am fully aware of that. Yet, let me ask you this; if not he, then who?"

An awkward silence descended on the group, even Gai had no answer to that. After a few moments, Asuma broke the sable conditions.

"Maybe Jiraiya-Sama?"

"Oh, hell no, Asuma! He'll force the women to wear some creepy clothes and then create a section of the ANBU to do his research for him! Can't you remember the last vote we had on what he submitted for the call out?!"

Asuma scratched the stubble on his chin absently.

"Yeah, but he must've been joking. Nobody would actually do that."

"Heh, I have it on good authority that he really would." Anko piped up from beside her red-eyed friend.

"That would be most unyouthful. I confess that I am confused as to why no-one has nominated Tsunade-hime yet."

Five sets of eyes turned to regard Maito Gai.

"Gai, we haven't even heard from her in the last couple of years and nobody even knows where she is."

Gai struck a pose and raised a solitary thumb, his perfectly white teeth gleaming yellow in the dim light.

"Do not worry Asuma-san. We can locate her if we try!"

"Err, Gai, the thing is...we have been trying for the last five years. With the Hunter-nin giving up on catching Itachi and Orochimaru, we diverted most of the forces to finding her, didn't we Sandaime-Sama?"

Sarutobi nodded in Kurenai's direction in affirmation. He had signed that order himself. Gai looked put out.

"And even if we find her, what assurance will we have that she will return to the Village, let alone take up the mantle?"

Another thoughtful silence pervaded the room, the Jounin sharing uncomfortable looks.

"Well, ok, there doesn't seem to be anyone else with the same sort of mindset, but let me ask you this: Why Naruto? Why not one of the established Jounin like Kakashi or, or...Tobitake Tonbo?"

The others stared at Kurenai with weird looks. Anko summed up their thoughts succinctly.

"Who?"

"You don't know Tonbo-san?"

Asuma continued to scratch his stubble.

Kakashi coughed.

"Nah, don't think I do. Sounds like a nobody."

Sarutobi palmed his face once again. He really was too old for this stuff.

"Tobitake Tonbo is a Chuunin Proctor for the current exams. He is remarkable in that he continued his Shinobi career despite being blind. He, no doubt, has the required mindset and determination, but Naruto-kun is a far better choice than him."

"And Kakashi?"

Sarutobi's eyes drifted from Gai's to rest on Kakashi's lone one. The Elite Jounin shrugged.

"Don't want it."

Sarutobi sighed. He had expected that.

"And there you have it. Kakashi may have everything required, but he has no motivation for leading the Village. That too and he would probably be late to everything whenever he had the chance."

Kakashi's shoulders shook slightly in silent mirth and the Sandaime huffed angrily. He was broken from his thoughts when Kakashi spoke up.

"How different is that from Naruto? You know what he's like Hokage-Sama, he's just as likely to turn you down as I am."

Asuma and Kurenai shot him a startled look and Sarutobi sighed again. How many times did he sigh in the last few minutes?!

"That...is true. But the fact is that he protects the Village unconsciously without even meaning to. That says much about his character and I believe he can be called upon to protect the innocent in any situation. Isn't that what we need in a Hokage?"

A ripple of muttering rose up from the five Jounin. It was true that he had protected the Village countless times, but could he be called upon to lead a Village that had shunned him for so many years? Responsibility and autonomy were two entirely different things in this regard.

"I'm not so sure Sandaime-Sama. The brat has the skills, I know that more than most having trained him with Ero-Sennin, 'Kashi and Shisui, but he just seems a bit too distant for that."

Kurenai gasped and Asuma stared at the two friends incredulously.

"Wait, you trained him? You two along with Uchiha Shisui and Jiraiya-Sama?"

Anko cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so? I thought everyone already knew?"

Asuma shook his head faintly. That solved one puzzle at least. Kurenai would probably feel jealous that her students were nowhere near his level for a long while to come. Well, with that sort of teaching talent, no wonder he could stand toe-to-toe with Orochimaru! Jiraiya himself had trained the Yondaime Hokage after all. The Sandaime cleared his throat to get their attention once again.

"At any rate, I shall offer the position to him soon. I just want to know if you have any reservations with regard to his nomination. Remember, the Jounin Council and the Council of Fire will have to vote on the decision anyway."

None of the room's occupants voiced any disagreements so Sarutobi took it as a unanimous response.

"Very well then. That is all."

XXXXXXXX

The days after the Second Test culminated were busy ones for Uzumaki Naruto. His first order of the week was to confirm Gai's words and he found that Hyuuga Hinata was indeed confined to Ward 18 of Konoha Central Hospital. It only served to anger him that her cousin had thrown her existence away so blithely. His convictions set; he had all the motivation he needed for his latest prank.

The following day was spent with TenTen, catching up with her and showing her his Airboard. The situation led to much hilarity when the bun-haired Kunoichi attempted to ride the device only to find half her Chakra sucked away in under five minutes. Lying panting in the grass, she began to comprehend just how vast her blond friend's Chakra supply must really be for him to stay on that for an extended period of time.

And he said he went all the way to Iwa on that thing in a few days?!

She could only shake her head and push that thought to the back of her mind. Maybe one day he would trust her enough to tell her some of his secrets.

Naruto had laughed and spent the next few hours dive-bombing the Konoha population with TenTen on board of course. The fact that she was screaming at the top of her lungs every time he went totally vertical seemed to totally ignore him. It was very exciting though and after a few rides, she could totally understand why he loved flying around on the thing all the time. The feeling of your mind being left behind as if it was on the end of a stretched rubber-band as the dive accelerated to insane speeds...It was so foreign to her, a feeling she had never experienced before that even a day after, she still awoke halfway through the night believing she was up in the clouds once more. The euphoria and adrenaline would take days to wear off, but she never once regretted her decision to take up his offer.

The day of the prank dawned grey and rainy, dreary clouds laden with water hanging low over the Village. Naruto awoke sleepily, his eyes taking in the lazy view peeking through his window and so he rolled over and decided to go back to sleep. Anko-nee was busy with the write-up for the Second Exam and the rest of the Jounin were out on patrol after the alarm over Orochimaru. For the most part, the news had been hushed up and the general populace had no idea of what had happened within the leafy confines of The Forest of Death. All they had been told was that there had been a security breach that was under control. Naruto had snorted when he'd first heard it.

Under control his butt.

Realising that he ought to get started on his prank, he pushed back the covers of his creaky bed and set about washing up and setting himself some breakfast. TenTen had already left for the day, her quilt and pillow folded neatly on the sofa she had insisted on crashing on since Higurashi Naoto had left for his business trip. It was a stark contrast to when she had first forced her presence within his home; at that time, she hadn't had qualms kicking him out of his room.

He cracked a smile as he proceeded to pull a loaf of bread from the freezer. He was going to show that Hyuuga Neji that even the high and mighty Hyuuga were powerless in the face of an adversity they couldn't see or touch. Fear was a powerful thing, that he knew now, and he would use his experience for that.

But pranking the Hyuuga was easier said than done. For one thing, their complex was huge from what he had heard and the Byakugan was just begging to catch him. Somehow he had to avoid those white eyes for as long as it took to place his plans into place. He tapped his chin as he chewed on his hot-buttered toast; it tasted better like that since one side always seemed to get overcooked in his toaster. He really needed to fix that one of these days...

"THAT'S IT!"

He sat there giggling for a while, unable to comprehend just how an overcooked slice of toast managed to solve his predicament for him. He knew he was crazy, but this was just absurd.

The Byakugan could see Chakra inherently, unlike the Sharingan which was more attuned to better sight. All living things had Chakra and so it was the ideal tracking Doujutsu in the Elemental Nations. There was a reason that most Hyuuga worth their salt were drafted into the Oi-nin division for a short while.

But that too was their one weakness. Just like setting off a flashbang in a room full of people, Naruto could blind them with the right amount of Chakra in their very own homes. The trick was to grant himself enough time to move in and set up his prank. If that was the case, he'd have to be fast and design the distraction to draw the Hyuuga away from his position. The entire complex would no doubt be guarded like a prison cell so it would have to be something big enough to work, but small enough to not catch the rest of Konoha's attention...

Naruto grinned wolfishly. If this worked, it'd be the most fulfilling prank he had ever played.

XXXXXXXXX

Hyuuga Hiashi prided himself on being a mature and capable leader. He had led the Hyuuga Clan for more than a decade and brought an era of peace and solitude to the Hyuuga that he felt befitted their status quo as the 'strongest clan in the Village'. Of course the Uchiha would beg to differ.

But they weren't around anymore anyway.

He smirked slightly as he made his way to the dining room of the Main House complex for his evening repast. He had received some bad news recently in the form of his nephew's loss to a civilian who wasn't even a part of the Chuunin Exams. At first he had been angry that the boy had disappointed when in a situation that should have told the boy that he could not lose, but then he began to question the fact that a civilian had been allowed to fight at all.

What had old Sarutobi been thinking?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a respected figure among the clans and the elderly Shinobi. Everyone knew that in his prime, he was by far the strongest Shinobi in the Village. His nickname aptly proved this point; there had only ever been one person named 'The Professor' after all. His students had grown into monster Shinobi themselves, Salamander Hanzou himself having bestowed the title of Sannin upon them. But he couldn't help but wonder why a civilian, one as notorious as Uzumaki Naruto, would be allowed to fight in an exam for ninja. That was the crux of the matter. He wasn't a Shinobi, he wasn't even a Genin, why would Sarutobi feel the need to have him fight?

What was even more mind-bending was the fact that he had actually won! He had bested the so-called genius of the Branch House Hyuuga. Hiashi could only conclude one thing from all of this: the boy had been trained even though he was not admitted to the Shinobi program.

This raised a very immediate concern that would no doubt be discussed in the next Hyuuga Elders' meeting. Had Sarutobi broken the law and allowed a civilian to learn the tools that were so tightly guarded by the Shinobi masses? It was a grave matter that raised many other questions but for now the clan head decided to put that behind him. He wanted to enjoy his roast Mackerel after all.

Seating himself at the lavish table decorating the Hyuuga dining room, he took a moment to admire the furnishing of the room he himself had designed. Cream coloured pennants hung from the walls at measured distances, the coving and dado rail a tasteful brown. The dining table itself was not so large as to be incumbent upon the room, rather it was of a sparse design, covered in a pure white sheet and lined with sky blue trimming. It didn't display wealth and luxury in the way most people would think, instead it was cool on the eyes and stylish to any onlooker.

Hiashi glanced up as his daughter seated herself to his right, her head bowed in silent greeting.

"Ahhh, Hanabi, how was your training this week?"

"Hai, Otou-Sama. I feel that it was adequate although I could be working far more on the strength in my legs. My Jyuuken has reached a level where I can hit the Tenketsu of an opponent sixty percent of the time and my Byakugan can vaguely see them when I strain my eyes."

Hiashi frowned disapprovingly.

"Be that as it may, the Hyuuga require the Jyuuken in their attacks which is a soft for of Taijutsu. You do not need to work on your legs as much as you should on your upper torso. It seems Megumi is holding you back slightly. I will be monitoring your next training session personally."

Hanabi's head lowered in acceptance.

"Hai, Otou-Sama."

With no warning, the lamps in the dining room suddenly went out. There was no noise, no movement and he could still feel Hanabi sitting in the same position she had been just a moment before.

"It seems there has been a power cut. Do you know anything about this Hanabi?"

"No Otou-Sama. The weather conditions are calm and although we had a little rain this morning, there has been no sign of the environment stirring up enough to cause something like this."

Hiashi frowned lightly.

"Strange. Mayhap the Branch House will repair this problem quickly. I would prefer that my supper were not destroyed by such an event."

"Quite, Otou-Sama."

Five minutes went by with the room completely silent and dark. The Main House dining room was situated at the back of the complex and so there were no windows with which to view the outside world. For this reason they required lamps to illuminate to room as no natural light could enter. Hiashi's brow furrowed as he wondered what was going on. Surely the Branch House would have fixed the problem by now?

He activated his Byakugan and paused for a moment so that his enhanced eyes could adjust to the darkness. It was an unfortunate decision, one that he would regret almost immediately.

Around the complex, upward of fifty Chakra notes detonated, spewing geysers of pure, high density Chakra directly into the sight of a Clan that specialised in enhancing their perception of it. The effect was akin to dropping a piece of burning magnesium in front of a Peregrine Falcon, a bird said to have the best sight possible for a living thing with two eyes. Hiashi screamed, his Byakugan deactivating instantly before the intense sensation could burn out his retinas and he scrubbed at his eyes in an attempt to rid them of the throbbing ache that settled behind his eyeballs. The soft whimpers from the other side of the room told him that Hanabi had been placed in a similar situation to his own.

It wouldn't be until the next morning that he would find out just what had gone on in the Hyuuga Complex that night. Waking up to find yourself powerlessly stuck to your bed for an entire day could do that to you.

Early the next morning, one Hyuuga Neji would find himself in a similar situation while recovering in Konoha Central Hospital. His trauma would be accompanied with a simple note, a scrawl of messy Kanji that would take quite a while to decipher. It didn't matter, after all, he was going nowhere.

_Who's powerless now?_

ZZZZZZZZZ

And so ends the Chuunin Exam arc. Now originally I intended to merge the rest of chapter 40 here but then after much deliberation, decided to remove the basis from the next arc but still include the wrap-up for the Hyuuga business. So here you have it!

Chapter Notes:

Tobitake Tonbo – _Thank you Pickle._ Yes, for those of you that know (and if you didn't it's no biggie, I didn't either!) Tonbo is the blind Chuunin Proctor seen in only one episode of the Chuunin Exam. According to _Pickle_, he has quite the fanbase and I just had to make it into a joke for all us ignorants' sakes. I really can't stop laughing whenever I read that over. What have the K:NP forums done to me?!

Rumidite – This is entirely fictional on my part. So far, I've only had Naruto or TenTen explain this metal and so I felt it needed a name. Hence the scene with Kurenai and Asuma.

And lastly, the Sealing theory in this chapter was the real stuff. The hints and things I had before were drawn off of this, but the four categories introduced here are the ways I see canon Fuuinjutsu to be comprised of.

And just for Ageant, because he's been dying for this and because he asked so nicely, I have a little surprise Omake here which I wanted to work in to the actual story but couldn't because it just waasn't a realistic thing to happen. So without further ado, Omake time!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Omake: What if, Prelims version (with a K:NP twist of course! ;D)

XXXXXXXXX

Neji stared hard at his opponent, his rage palpable from across the arena.

"You know nothing you foolish fool of all fools. How dare you look down upon me? I, who is named the prodigy of all Hyuuga!"

Naruto tapped his chin lightly.

"Prodigy? Is that some kind of soup?"

The audience fell deathly silent. Kakashi palmed his face, muttering 'I don't know him!' under his breath. Anko would have too, if she could spare a breath from laughing as much as she was.

"See, if you're all clever and stuff, that means you can counter anything I throw at ya right?"

Neji struck an arrogant pose.

"Of course! Trash like you will never be able to defeat me!"

"So what's that under your hair band?"

Neji glared angrily.

"It is NOT a hair band! It is a Hitai-ate you layman! It is the very symbol of being a Konoha Shinobi! I o not expect one such as you to understand a concept so complex!"

"Yeah, yeah, but what's underneath it? I can see some green stuff poking out!"

Neji glare intensified.

"Fine! I'll show you! Just so that I will cherish the moment you fall to my feet even more!"

With a flourish, he pulled his Hitai-ate from his head, his long, black hair spilling around his cranium elegantly. He pointed to the seal that was glowing an aquatic green at the centre of his forehead.

"This, you fiend, is the seal I was talking about. How can you understand having a brand upon your brow for every step you take in this life? Can you imagine? No, you cannot!"

Naruto hummed to himself lightly before a figurative light bulb went off above his head.

"Wait a minute! I've made something like that before!"

He reached into his jacket and began pulling random articles from his pockets and depositing them behind him. The one thing they all had in common was a seal etched to their surface. Unfortunately some of them must have been dangerous as the pages began exploding, spouting goo, and randomly causing mayhem by the time they hit the floor. Naruto, of course, completely ignored those developments and Neji could only stare on in shock.

"AH-HA! Here it is! I knew I had seen your seal somewhere!"

Neji stood stock-still as if shell-shocked as Naruto suddenly popped up in front of him and began inspecting his Caged-Seal from different angles like a particularly excited shopper outside their favourite shop. His eyebrow began to twitch until he reached his breaking point!

"Get away from me!"

It was at that moment that Naruto activated his seal and with a silent 'whoosh!' Neji was thrown from his feet and rocketed a meter into the air where he paused, suspended above the ground.

"Huh, so that's what it does? How come I didn't see no Hyuuga flyin' around last time?"

Sarutobi's eyes widened. So that's how Hiashi was incapacitated all those years ago! No wonder there were holes left all over the Hyuuga complex, they were human sized after all!

Naruto's tongue stuck from his mouth and his eyes narrowed as he concentrated.

"What are y- ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The audience sweat-dropped. Nobody summed it up better than Kiba though.

"Huh, would you look at that? Pigs can fly."

A few metres away, Kankurou groaned, very loudly.

ZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! So yeah, Ageant, flying Hyuugas! Hoped you all enjoyed it and do leave a review!

As a final note, do check out Vorago Atrox's newest story named 'In the beginning'. The premise is excellent and I really think he deserves a lot of credit for coming up with something like that! So do read it and tell him what you think!

MegaB, signing out!


	40. Chapter 40

Yo all, welcome to K:NP! The 40th installment will unfortunately be very short for various reasons HOWEVER a lot of stuff is revealed this chapter and I've given it a lot of thought. Let's see who can pick up on it and make some accurate predictions eh?

Review highlights go to rairakku uzumaki for some excellent feedback, Ageant for wanting a Mohawk, InARealPickle for being as awesome as always, anothvortex for another detailed analysis, Traitor-hero for stating she was female (:S), Hitokiri Onib for needing sleep, mountainelements for asking why Shikamaru got an auto-by in the prelims (did anyone else think of that?! :P) and Lainana for Mayhap.

Story Highlight goes to Thudereaper's 'The Dichotomy of Namikaze Naruto' a wonderfully written piece that excels in almost every aspect. It's a true piece of literature and everyone loves Super!Naruto right?

So Chapter 40. Again I apologise for the length but I'll be doing a much larger one next time and this one was necessary to set stuff up! So read and do let me know how you find it!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stared wearily from his window. A week had passed since the eventful day of the Chuunin Exam Preliminaries. He had to acknowledge that the year's Genin were far stronger than average. For so many to have passed, three of the teams rookie competitors no less, they had to be something special. Not only was Anko's proctorship notoriously extreme but Naruto had also been added to the mix. The ones that had made it through must have been especially well-trained to navigate the Forest of Death with so many factors against them.

Poor Hiruzen had no idea that the more Genin there were, the less chance there was for a team to get caught in a trap.

Sarutobi winced as his mind turned to the exam directly before Anko's. Ibiki had been hospitalised due to some sort of mental fatigue that had never been seen before. One of the doctors had commented that it may have been because of the air allowed through the holes in his head drying out his brain. Apparently, it was so dry that they had even found some sand on the surface. However, their explanation did not seem to describe why he had depressions in the grey matter, but neither did he so he could only trust the specialists.

"You can stop hiding now Jiraiya-kun."

The Gama-Sennin chuckled as he hopped from under the windowsill directly adjacent to a particularly comfy settee, into which he plopped himself discourteously.

"I'm sure I taught you better manners than that."

He grinned.

"The only thing you taught me was how to peep and not get caught!"

Sarutobi groaned as he seated himself behind his desk, his hands already settled over the security seals etched into the waxed mahogany. In a brief flash of blue which as always caught his student's attention, the room fell silent as he awaited the inevitable report.

"You're not gonna like this Sensei. Not a single bit."

Hiruzen frowned deeply.

"I believe I have steeled myself for whatever ignominious news you may deliver. And as such, I must hear it."

Jiraiya pulled a stack of paper from beneath his cloak and tossed it unceremoniously atop his ex-Sensei's desk.

"Logistics of Iwa's 'Boot Camp' for the last two months."

The Sandaime picked it up slowly and pulled the top sheet from the pack. His eyes widened from what he saw.

"How did you get this?!"

Jiraiya waved a hand airily.

"That's not the point. There were many factors involved, one of which was the spy Naruto brought in before the Chuunin Exams began."

Sarutobi glanced up sharply.

"He talked?"

Jiraiya snorted.

"We wouldn't be here if he hadn't. Ibiki and the rest of T&I worked him over for the last two weeks non-stop. Of course he talked."

Having read enough, the Sandaime placed the envelope back on the desk. He'd read the rest later when he had some time to contemplate how they should move with this new information.

"Is there more?"

Jiraiya turned towards his leader once again, all traces of mirth replaced by an iron will of seriousness.

"Higurashi Naoto is dead."

He spoke harshly, his voice almost guttural in its inflection. Sarutobi recoiled in shock.

"No..."

Jiraiya continued to stare with his unpitying gaze.

"He died, en-route from his stop in Bassai, his trade caravan simply disappeared from its way-point."

"Bassai? The Lumber Village on the outskirts of Hi no Kuni?"

His student remained unwavering in his posture and glance.

"Lumber Village?! Huh, yeah, it would've been...if there was anything left of it."

Sarutobi inhaled sharply. This time he did not react through emotions alone and the room remained silent for a moment as he contemplated the latest developments.

"Explain."

Jiraiya nodded. That was who he came to see, Hiruzen the Sandaime Hokage, not Hiruzen his ex-Sensei. Leaning back, he pulled his right foot up and placed it on his left thigh.

"Bassai was desolate, the entire region stripped bare of vegetation. The town was in ruins and I didn't see a single living person when I passed through."

Sarutobi stood quickly, striding to his bookcase lining the far wall; he pulled a thick roll of paper from the shelf and unfurled it across the surface of his desk. Biting his lip slightly, he pulled a red marker from his drawer and began scribbling on the apparent map of the Elemental Nations. Jiraiya sat regarding these actions with a calculating eye; he would see whether the same conclusion was drawn as the one he considered.

"Iwa..."

Jiraiya nodded.

"That's the same thing I came up with."

Sarutobi looked up from his map, his body shifting to grant the Gama-Sennin a clear view of Bassai's location ringed in red.

"And you think it had something to do with Naoto's caravan?"

Jiraiya squinted as he replied.

"That's a long shot. As far as I could tell, there was some sort of war going on down there long before Higurashi-dono even decided to go on that trip. But that's the thing Sensei."

"Something was happening down there without us knowing, in our borders no less."

Sarutobi's frown deepened. This was grave news indeed, Jiraiya had been right that he would not like it.

"Any leads on who could have done such a thing?"

Jiraiya lowered his head in shame, his reply coming soft in the evening's silence.

"Nothing Sensei. I'm sorry."

Hiruzen nodded stiffly. Higurashi Naoto...one of his oldest friends and a comrade throughout the Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars. His skill with weapons was almost unmatched in the World and the only ninja to ever defeat him solely in a weapons battle had been one of the Shinobigatana no Nananin Shuu. Only the legends of Kiri could match his prowess and now that he was gone...

Sarutobi gasped softly.

"Someone will have to tell TenTen."

Jiraiya winced again.

"Yeah. Yeah they will."

XXXXXXXX

Naruto strode along the leafy paths of the Konoha outskirts as he made his way to his destination. He had been summoned by a masked ANBU agent to one of the more neglected training fields in the Northern Quadrant of the Village. He had almost complained to the guy before he remembered that he wasn't even around anymore. Shunshin was highly convenient.

His gaze caught the sight of his two older friends populating the otherwise empty training ground, Anko staring up at the sky from her seated position at the base of a tree and Kakashi leaning against a sparring pole, his ever-present book ensconced in his hand. The area was pleasantly silent, the only sound identified as the sweet warbling of a songbird close by. The grass rippled slightly as a soft breeze wafted through the grounds, catching the folds in their clothes and ruffling their hair.

"Hey guys! How come Kakashi's here before me?"

Neither answered as Naruto finally realised the final attendee of their little gathering.

"Yo gaki! How've you been? I heard you've got some new moves to show me."

Naruto grinned at his sometimes-Sensei as the white-haired man clapped him on the back happily. They embraced tightly before pulling away from each other.

"Where's Shisui?"

The clearing gained a new definition of silence. Anko was the first to speak in a hushed tone belying her unease.

"Y-You don't know?"

Jiraiya glanced between the three, perplexed.

"Know what?"

Kakashi's novel snapped shut, the crack loud and clear in the silence.

"Shisui is currently confined to Ward 18 due to being comatose and paralysed from the shoulders down. He received a sword thrust to his seventh vertebra, severing his CNS completely during his debut mission to Nami no Kuni."

Anko and Naruto shivered at the tone used by the one-eyed Jounin; it was as if he had regressed back into his ANBU days for a moment there.

"_Shisui, listen to me. Don't accept it."_

"_Why not?"_

Naruto's eyes lingered over his friend's features. His shoulders were pulled forward, his entire body sagging in a way that displayed his fatigue to the world.

"_Trust me on this. ANBU's a one way trip to hell."_

"Estimated time of awakening?"

Kakashi shook his head and Jiraiya nodded solemnly.

"You know what that means, right?"

All three turned to the legendary Shinobi immediately. Was there hope?

Jiraiya smiled softly.

"We'll just have to convince Tsunade-hime to come and heal him."

Kakashi turned away and Anko looked appalled. Naruto had no idea why they responded in such a manner.

"I know it's ridiculous, I know she probably won't be able to heal him anyway, but it's the only chance we have left!"

Anko whirled on him, her expression angered and twisted into a snarl of outrage.

"Yes, it is _ridiculous_ and it will never work! Why did you even _suggest _it?!"

Jiraiya was taken aback as he eyed her warily.

"I just-"

"We'll do it."

All eyes were drawn to the blonde's lowered head. He raised his eyes, the sapphire orbs glowing in the dying light.

"You said it yourself Anko-nee. You told me that I wasn't the only one suffering."

Anko's purple eyes darted to his own and then away again.

"Yeah, I know I said that, but this is different! You don't know what she's like 'Ruto! There's no wa-"

"Exactly."

Kakashi stared hard at his young friend. This was the crucial moment; this was what he had been waiting for. Would Naruto live up to his inherited legacy?"

"Ero-Sennin is suffering too isn't he? I don't care how small the chance is of Shisui coming back. I'm gonna try everything I can!"

Anko turned on him, her eyes wide with a fright he had never seen in them before.

"How can you know?! How can you say that?! You're the one who's been running away from him ever since it happened! When did you last go to see him?! You're blaming yourself!"

The clearing descended into silence once more, this one far more pregnant than the last. Anko's whisper drifted lazily through the air.

"They always abandon you in the end...right when you get a small glimmer of hope..."

"Shouldn't you try to relight it?"

Anko's head whipped around that the crack of her neck was audible to her company.

"What?"

"I said, shouldn't we still try to heal him, even if it was the hardest thing in the world?"

_The answer she had been seeking, the truth of her past and her road to her future. It seemed so simple yet it was by far the hardest thing she had ever encountered._

Anko's eyes grew wide. Kakashi gasped softly, a rare show of emotion. Jiraiya smiled proudly at his student's son; the resemblance was uncanny, could personality truly be carried through genes?

"B-But that doesn't mean it will work! What if it doesn't?! What if we try and it still doesn't work?"

Naruto turned and glanced at them over his shoulder.

"Well I'm gonna try. Shisui deserves that much at least. I'll meet you at the main gate at six in the morning Ero-Sennin. It's a chance to prove another point to Shirogan-Tenshi anyway..."

Naruto jumped away, his friends' eyes locked to his retreating back.

"Shirogan-Tenshi? When did Naruto get a girlfriend and how come I didn't know about this?!"

He sighed when he remembered just what state his friends were in. Scratching the nape of his neck, he waved lazily and departed for his next destination. Tomorrow, he would depart with Naruto to find his female teammate.

The odds seemed insurmountable.

ZZZZZZZZZ

And CUT! OK, short one here, but it was the first of the next arc. This arc should be over quickly and then we'll have only two more mini-arcs before the end of K:NP. I'm estimating maybe 50-52 chapters but we'll see how it goes. There was very little humour in this one and you should expect it to continue like this for the next couple of chapters. A lot of topics will be touched upon that will give me no leeway for that sort of stuff.

So do leave a review and I'll be very happy!

Chapter Notes:

Shinobigatan no Nananin Shuu – The Seven Shinobi Swordsmen. These are the seven legendary Shinobi that make up the backbone of Kirigakure's ninja forces. It is to be noted that Momochi Zabuza, Hoshigake Kisame and Raiga were all once part of this elite squad.

This was short because I was tight on time. I'm leaving for a holiday shortly and so I had to speed through this as fast as I could. I hope you enjoy it though!

MegaB, signing off!


	41. Chapter 41

ZZZZZZZZZZ

_Uchiha Shisui exited the Hokage's office, a proud smile stretching his face. Glancing both ways to make sure that nobody could see him, he stopped and thrust a fist into the air._

"_YEAH!"_

_After all, a newly promoted ANBU Captain had no business celebrating right after receiving the good news._

_He strode from the alcove, his mid-length, black hair waving slightly from his rhythmic motion. As he crossed the corridor towards the stairway leading down to the entrance to the Hokage Tower, he looked up to see one of his best friends perched against the wall waiting for him._

"_Kakashi? What you doing here?"_

_The famous Copy Ninja leaned back against the plain white walls, his right leg raised and his foot pressed against his support. His head was turned to the side, denying the happy Uchiha a view of his uncovered eye. The only features visible were his shock of silvery hair barely contained by the band of his Hitai-ate, and the midnight-blue cloth mask concealing the lower half of his face._

"_How'd it go?"_

_Shisui stopped before him, his elation overcoming his curiosity at his friend's presence._

"_I passed, duh! Nobody would turn down the mighty Konoha no Shinkirou, right 'Kashi?"_

_Shisui frowned when Kakashi didn't answer._

"_So you're going to do it then?"_

_Shisui hesitated. What was that supposed to mean? This was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any Konoha ninja! Of course he was going to do it! Why wouldn't he?!_

"_Why wouldn't I?"_

_Kakashi turned to him then and suddenly all the joy and success he had felt from his promotion vanished. He couldn't understand why the silver-haired Jounin wouldn't want him to join the ANBU. They were the elite, the best of the best. For him to be accepted, one of the seven Captains no less, only stated how outstanding his skills were to the rest of the Shinobi population. He wanted to test himself properly this time, without Itachi there to overshadow his performance._

"_I've been in ANBU, I've been a Captain. I'm telling you not to do it."_

_Shisui's hands curled into fists as an irrational anger rose in his chest._

"_Are you saying I'm not good enough?! You trying to say I'll die or something?! Spit it out man!"_

_Kakashi simply levelled his unemotional gaze directly at him, his steely eyes boring into his own like an electric drill._

"_I'm not saying that, I've never said that and you know it better than I."_

_Shisui's eyes remained unflinching from Kakashi's almost as if in challenge._

"_Then what could you have against it?! You've been through it yourself right? What do yo-"_

_The famous Shinobi cut him off mid-sentence._

"_Shisui, listen to me. Don't accept it."_

_Shisui's blood turned cold. At first he had thought this was all a sick joke; Anko and Naruto's prank at seeing how much he wanted the position. As Kakashi's argument turned more heated, he had thought that maybe his friend doubted his ability. But this...this was different. Kakashi was going out of his way to stop him from joining, something so uncharacteristic that the Uchiha Survivor could make no head-nor-tail of it._

"_Yeah, but why not?!"_

_Kakashi pushed himself from the wall and Shisui tensed his body. He didn't know why he reacted like that, like he felt the older Shinobi would attack him for some reason. Maybe it was a more primal instinct reacting to an obstacle preventing him from advancing and evolving further. As he forced himself to relax, he broke out in a cold sweat as the Ninken Summoner turned his back and began walking away._

"_Trust me on this. ANBU's a one-way trip to hell."_

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

**Chapter 41: The Search for Tsunade**

_By MegaB_

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Sarutobi Hiruzen rifled through the custom's files with increasing agitation. Something had gone badly wrong for Hi no Kuni's security to have been compromised as badly as it was. Higurashi Naoto's trade caravan should have been nowhere near Bassai had it followed the route Naoto himself had submitted for the interns.

"This doesn't make any sense..."

Pulling a file from the middle of the row in the Trade Logs deep in the bowels of the Hokage Tower, he knelt on one leg to prop the cardboard construct open in a single hand, the other holding the rest of the row vertical so that he didn't lose the correct positioning for the logistics. Glancing down at the untidy writing of one of the Chuunin guards, he flipped a few pages until he found what he was looking for. Higurashi Naoto's Weapons caravan had departed three weeks ago from the main gate of the Village. The Chuunin on duty had been one Kamizuki Izumo, who, following protocol, had logged the number of passengers, the attendee and confirmed the repertoire of trade goods leaving the Village. Everything added up apart from the footnote at the end which read:

_NOTE: Higurashi Naoto-dono, ex-serving Jounin to Sarutobi Hiruzen (Sandaime), Minato Namikaze (Yondaime dec.), Sarutobi Hiruzen (re-elect)._

_Quote: 5:15PM Requests guard detail at destination Tokkuriji. ETA 4 days. Higurashi-dono states provision and payment delivered direct to the Hokage already._

"Tokkuriji...that's South from Tanzaku Gai. It's nowhere near Bassai! They're on opposite sides of Fire Country!"

Snapping the file shut, he slipped the tome back into its position on the shelf and stepped back from the book-covered wall. This was getting stranger and stranger. Naoto's trip had been purely business oriented; he'd requested a team of Chuunin for Tokkuriji which the Sandaime himself had acceded. Two and a half weeks later and the entire caravan had disappeared almost ninety miles from the location it, for all intents and purposes, should have been in. No trace was found, just a steaming crater near a Lumber Village that Sarutobi had had no idea that a miniature war had destroyed. Hiruzen knew his friend, and if he knew him as well as he thought he did, then Naoto would not have changed direction unless something he felt was important had come up.

Something he found out in Tokkuriji related to Bassai. He knew that since the Chuunin team dispatched had returned not two days ago.

Striding from the room, he shut the door and re-activated the security seal on the outside. The only option for the moment would be to question the Chuunin team that had been sent to protect the caravan. With his first clue in place, the Sandaime purposefully returned to his office.

There was a nut to crack.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Switch!"

In a whirl of motion, a black-clad thirteen year old pirouetted on the balls of his right foot, his two arms fluidly tucking themselves close to his torso as the glowing sphere of the Rasengan slipped from one hand to the other.

"Duck!"

With the same grace, the blond-haired Jinchuuriki flopped forward, two Kunai flying over his head like angry hornets.

"Jump!"

Without a moment, he was airborne, his entire attention focused on maintaining the regular flow of Chakra to his hand. His jump took him right over the Earth Jutsu that rose up from the ground where he had been standing just a few seconds before.

"Switch!"

The Yondaime's signature Jutsu was transferred once again, this time mid-jump. Naruto landed softly, his arms still close to his body and his breath coming in ragged gasps from the exertion.

"Destroy!"

His eyes lit up immediately. It was the exercise he had been waiting for. The culmination of a day's hard training with Ero-Sennin. It would start out slowly; him having to kick the lazy Gama-Sennin from his bed-roll to wake him up in the morning. They would begin with stretches, light exercises and Chakra Control. They'd then move on to light Jutsu, no-contact sparring and more Chakra Control. The day would continue on in the same vein as they journeyed towards their destination; a town about nine miles out from Konoha named Otafuku Gai. The final test, the culmination of the strenuous drills would be the most exciting to the young civilian.

Blowing things up.

And just like that, his entire demeanour changed from an exhausted teenager, to a ball of energy raring to go. Spinning low to the ground, he came up facing the horde of projectiles with a feral grin stretching his face. Some people called him nuts, others said he was brave and yet more people said he had a death wish. But there was one thing that Naruto knew which most likely all of them didn't:

It was _FREAKIN' FUN!_

A loud explosion tore through the path, the soft green grass rippling as a shockwave raced outwards from the epicentre. Naruto whooped loudly as he was thrown backwards from the blast generated by slamming a fully-powered Rasengan into a Kunai wrapped in a primed Explosive Note. Shaking off the jarring shock from his limbs, he leapt to his feet, his arms a whirl of movement as he raced back into the fray. He dodged hither and thither, his form a ghost against the rain of weaponry. His arms flashed out, one hand expertly deflecting blade after blade with nought but a Chakra covered hand and the other drilling the Delphinium sphere into the choke of metal twisting and thrashing in a maelstrom of glinting Argentum. A low whine growled through the area, the rippling cyclone of sharpened steel whipping round and round in a dizzyingly bright display of rippling power.

Jiraiya stood transfixed by the sight; he was awe-struck beyond words, his wit having failed him for the first time in a long while. Kakashi, Anko and Shisui hadn't just taught the boy, they had raised a monster. The timing and control for transferring the Rasengan from one hand to the other had been mastered whilst he was out on his Sensei's errands. Not only that but Minato's legacy could successfully retain his concentration and situational awareness at the same time. His eyes only grew wider as the smoking form of his pseudo-student erupted from the centre of the whirlwind of weaponry, a huge mushroom of sparkling devastation rising in his wake.

'_A Phoenix without wings...'_

"That the kid?"

The Legendary Shinobi started and turned to regard the newcomer, an annoyed expression colouring his features.

"Do I have to remind you _not_ to do that again?! Last time I almost blew your head off!"

Momochi Zabuza grunted as he turned to Jiraiya a haughty look in his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just that good that you didn't notice me."

Jiraiya let out a breath and turned back to watch the spectacle of the blond-haired Jinchuuriki tearing into his Shadow Clones with brutal efficiency. There were holes in his attack, that much was clear, but from what he'd heard, Naruto had a few tricks up his sleeve that he'd developed solely by himself.

"Where's Haku?"

Zabuza didn't take his eyes from the deadly dance before his eyes as he responded.

"Left him to guard my Zanbatou. Things are moving forward quickly thanks to you."

Jiraiya smirked lightly at that.

"No second thoughts at joining my...'little band of spying gnats' was it?"

The six-foot Nuke-nin grinned ruefully under his bandages.

"Maybe, maybe not. At any rate, the preparations are almost complete."

Jiraiya faced him then. Naruto had almost destroyed his three clones and so the outcome was clear. It was a big difference to two years before when he'd last administered this test; back then the most he could do was Kawarimi around and try to land a few hits based on the small amount of Ninjutsu he possessed. It was a flattering thought to realise that the Sandaime's trust was justified. Naruto could easily be Kage level in a few years, maybe even by the same age as his father.

"So you're going to go ahead with it then? How did you get the backing for a full coup d'état on Kiri?"

Zabuza clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Details, who needs 'em? I've got some news for you and I think you've already heard some of it."

Jiraiya frowned.

"Big enough to bring you out of hiding? Shoot."

Zabuza didn't waste anymore time bringing the Gama Sennin up to speed.

"I'm gonna be quick. Chances are you've already checked out Bassai yourself, am I right?"

Jiraiya's frown deepened, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Good, that'll make this much faster. Ever heard of the Jyu-Ryu Daisho?"

Huh. That wasn't what he had expected.

"Ten Dragon Pairs?"

The Silent Killer nodded.

"That'd be the translation, well done!"

"Oh Shut up."

Zabuza chuckled slightly before fixing his beady grey eyes on his financier once again.

"There were ten swords of legend said to have been passed down in pairs through the Shinobigatana no Nananin Shuu. At some point they were lost and disappeared into history to be regarded as nothing but a tale to bring pride to the children of Mizu no Kuni's shores."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. Higurashi Naoto was a weapons dealer. This had to be it.

"Seems like you've guessed some of it but there's more. There've been rumours that some of 'em were found recently. Nobody knows what they look like, the Sandaime Mizukage used to say that they would change shape depending on the wielder and had never shown their true form to anyone. It's stupid 'cause there can't be swords like that. Nobody even knows where they came from!"

Realisation began to set in to Jiraiya. This was it, it had to be. This was something a Weapons-Master like Higurashi-dono would jump at to investigate.

"Where did these rumours come from?"

Zabuza snorted.

"You probably know that without me tellin' you."

'_Bassai...'_

"OI NARUTO! GET OVER HERE, THERE'S SOMEONE I WANT YOU TO MEET!"

The ex-Kiri ANBU agent looked bewildered at his employer.

"What the hell Old Man?! You've gotta be kiddin' me! Why would you want him to meet me?! What happened to all the cloak-and-dagger crap you were spouting off about the last time we met?!"

Jiraiya shrugged.

"Yeah well, that was the last time we met anyway saw-tooth. You've got bandages on for God's sake! Don't tell me it's because Haku beats you up all the time!"

Zabuza glared at the white-haired elder.

"You can't talk! I'm sure the brat could murder you if he wanted to!"

"You wanna fight punk?!"

"Yeah, s'matter of fact I do!"

"Bring it you sharp-toothed monkey! Let's see if those fangs can do you any good!"

"Oh you're gonna get it now you old degenerate! You're just lucky I don't have Kubikiri Houcho with me right now!"

"As a matter of fact, Zabuza-Sama, your Zanbatou is right here."

"You the man Haku! Err...I mean, girl-boy whatever the hell you actually are."

"Both."

The argument ceased immediately.

"I said both."

All eyes turned to see a grinning blond wiping the sweat from his forehead. Haku paled considerably and took a step back, names whispered on the wind resounding from his mouth.

"_The Breaking Wind, Konoha's Painter, The Cloud Rider..."_

Naruto balked.

"HEY! The first and second are lame! If you wanna give me a nickname the last one is just fine!"

Zabuza sweat-dropped.

"And this guy's famous?"

Jiraiya shrugged.

"Beats me, I just trained him."

Naruto scuffed a foot into the wavy grass and turned back to Haku.

"Yo Hunter-nin-san! What'cha doin' here? Ain't you like...on the run or something?"

Haku quivered in his presence; this was _THE_ Uzumaki Naruto, the boy said to be on par with the Legendary Sannin and a few more of the famous names from Hi no Kuni, Hatake Kakashi the famous Copy-nin among others. He felt small and insignificant in his presence.

"So what, are you a boy or a girl? Or was I right and you're both?"

Haku groaned internally; he finds one Shinobi who he honestly respects and _THIS_ happens?!

"I'm very much a boy thank you."

Hey whoa, chill! It's not like I'm askin' you to prove it!"

Zabuza chuckled heartlessly.

"That would make a very...interesting sight."

"Oh, so you are gay?"

"SHUT UP JIRAIYA!"

They began walking again their destination set as Otafuku Gai, the city Jiraiya had said he could use to track down his erstwhile teammate. They began talking, the older Shinobi in hushed tones and Naruto attempting, and failing to start a conversation with his feminine-featured companion.

"So how'd you end up here? Weren't you guys like running away from the law?"

Haku hesitated slightly before stepping daintily around a small clump of grass.

"I-It's been a long time since we saw each other Uzumaki-san. A lot has changed."

Naruto made a face at the formality.

"Hey, the name's Naruto, what's yours? I hate goin' by last names!"

Haku jerkily accepted his outstretched hand, sweat running down his brow.

"H-Haku."

Naruto grinned at his new friend.

"So what's the deal? You a Shinobi or something?"

Haku bowed his head under the scrutiny. It was embarrassing beyond words to meet and talk amicably with someone whose name he'd been hearing through hushed voices for the last three years. He knew it was stupid and petty, but he couldn't help it. He resolved to at least talk to him properly.

"No. I was never a Shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato. Zabuza-Sama found me when I was left on the street. Zabuza-Sama is currently employed under your Sensei, Jiraiya-Sama, to pay the costs for liberating Mizu no Kuni from the dictatorship of the current Mizukage."

Naruto made a face.

"Do you have to talk like that?"

Up ahead, Jiraiya hid a small smile. Naruto was working his wonders already. He'd open the boy up if anyone could.

"What are you smilin' about?"

He waved a hand at Zabuza.

"Nothing, nothing. So what were you saying about Higurashi-dono's search team?"

Haku frowned slightly.

"How would you have me speak?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I dunno...something more natural I guess. You're all tensed up all of the time. That can't be good for you!"

Haku lowered his head slightly.

"It is because we live in fear of ambush night and day Naruto-san. I must always be alert to be of use to Zabuza-Sama."

Naruto hopped on a foot and stopped ahead of his companion.

"Huh, so what...you're always lookin' over your shoulder or something? Like, with your head?"

Haku sweat-dropped.

"That is how you look over your shoulder, yes."

Naruto raised a finger and wagged it under the older boy's nose.

"Nope! That's not how I look over my shoulder!"

Haku stopped alongside him.

"W-What do you mean?"

Naruto nodded happily.

"See, there's a lot of clues that tell you when someone's sneakin' up behind you. If you look down in the day, you can see their shadow before they reach you. There are other things too; footfall, small sounds like breathing or gravel or twigs snapping. If you try, you could probably react just as fast as if you see them too!"

Haku could only stare at the younger boy.

"But surely seeing something can never be replaced by something else?"

"Fine, I'll show you!"

Naruto turned his back to the long-haired teenager and called over his shoulder.

"Throw a Kunai at me!"

Haku gasped.

"What?"

Naruto grinned.

"Throw a Kunai at my back when I'm not lookin'! You'll see what I mean!"

Haku hesitated. This was Uzumaki Naruto, the one who turned three countries inside out all by himself. How could he even think of that? Then again, he might learn something from him, something that Zabuza-Sama could not teach.

"A-Alright."

Spinning a Senbon expertly in his fist, he nestled it safely between his index and forefinger before tossing it as hard as he could at the unprotected thigh of the infamous Konoha Civilian. Naruto yelped, skipping clumsily to the side and only just dodging the speeding needle by raising his leg out of the deadly weapon's path.

"H-HEY! I said Kunai!"

Haku's jaw hit the floor. He'd just dodged a Senbon....A SENBON! Without turning around!

Naruto marched over angrily.

"Why'd you use that needle-thingy?! Those things are way harder to dodge than Kunai!"

Haku's mouth was opening and closing slowly.

"Err...you okay?"

No response.

"Haku?"

No response.

"Girly boy? That doesn't sound right...hmm, boy-ie girl? Nah, that's even worse...What do you call a mix between a boy and a girl anyway? There must be a word for that..."

Haku shook his head slowly.

"There is: Transvestite......Wait what?!"

Naruto cracked up, bending over as his laughter shook his body. Up ahead, Zabuza was coughing up a storm and Jiraiya was hastily switching between thumping his back and laughing so hard that he couldn't see straight. Haku blushed in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry. How did you do that?"

Naruto straightened up, gulping in air from his oxygen-deficient lungs.

"N-Not telling!"

"W-What?!"

Naruto grinned cheekily.

"I said I'm not telling!"

Haku squawked indignantly.

"B-But you said-"

Naruto patted him on the back.

"That's better! See, you don't _always_ have to be all uptight!"

Haku breathed in deeply to calm himself. True, he hadn't been that worked up in quite a while. He smiled softly at his counterpart's antics; Uzumaki Naruto was a good person as well as a strong one.

"I...see. So I take it you don't actually know yourself then?"

It was Naruto's turn to look indignant.

"HEY! I WAS THE OONE WHO SAID I COULD DO IT, DIDN'T I?!"

Haku giggled quietly, the sound almost musical and airy in the afternoon sun. It was a laughter that melted into the surroundings rather than encompassing them, soft yet undeniably noticeable. Naruto's anger faded as quickly as it came.

"It's not that hard. Actually that pointy thing was a lot harder than other stuff because it makes hardly any noise when you throw it, but there was a slight whistle in the air. I layered some Chakra around my back and extended it out a few centimetres. It's as far as I can get though for some reason."

"Well that's obvious, isn't it Gaki?"

Naruto and Haku jumped apart as a head appeared between them.

"ARGH TROLL!"

"What?!"

"...Never mind."

Jiraiya shook his head in bemusement.

"Anyway, most Jounin can only extend their Chakra from their limbs by the same amount and it shows just how far you've come that you are able to pull something like that off. Did you ever wonder what skill you would gain by changing hands with the Rasengan?"

Naruto frowned and Jiraiya laughed.

"Hooo Naruto, you've got a long way to go yet! What did I say you had to do to pull that off?"

Haku stood bewildered next to the Teacher and Student. Could it be? Could you really o something like that?

"Err...use you Chakra to...make a bridge....away from the body! So that was training for this?"

Jiraiya inclined his head.

"Not quite, but it can be used for that too!"

As if a metaphorical bulb went off above his head, the blond teenager's face lit up in excitement from what his training had given him. He should have known really; Ero-Sennin always taught through riddles.

"Haku! It's your turn now!"

"W-What?! NO WAIT NARUTO! DON'T THRO-"

The road to Otafuku Gai was a noisy place for the next few hours.

XXXXXXXX

TenTen pushed the door to Naruto's fridge closed with her foot and carried the plate of chilled Tokoyaki to the microwave in his kitchen. She'd had another gruelling day of Taijutsu training from Gai-Sensei and he wasn't letting up now that her and Lee had got through to the finals of the Chuunin Exam. If he had been surprised that his 'prodigy' hadn't accomplished something they had, he didn't show it. It was with a sentimental smile that TenTen pondered on this development; it was one of the advantages of having he Taijutsu Specialist for a Sensei. He never preferred one student over another....except maybe Lee, but that had a reason she fully understood. If she had wanted to become a Shinobi with nothing but her Weapons, she would have lost to that Suna Kunoichi in the Preliminaries.

Shaking her head in nostalgia, she settled the now steaming plate onto the surface of the small Dining Table tucked close to the wall in Naruto's Living Room. It was honestly a nice little place. Sure, it could do with some redecorating here and there but for the most part it was comfortable. It also helped that Naruto's tastes could be witnessed all over it and that brought a smile to the bun-haired Kunoichi's face.

A soft knock alerted her to the presence of a visitor beyond the door of the small apartment. Frowning at the late hour, she stood and padded to the entranceway to see who it was. Peeking through the eye-hole, her frown deepened at the sight of a solitary ANBU in a Cat Mask. She hurriedly pulled the rattling chain from its holder and unlocked the door.

"May I help you, ANBU-san?"

"TenTen?"

She nodded. The ANBU took hold of her hand gently and placed a folded piece of paper into her palm. TenTen glanced from the appendage to the agent's face in confusion. It was definitely a woman behind that mask, she could tell from the touch.

"I was tasked with informing you of late Higurashi Naoto-dono's death."

The ANBU paused, the room deathly quiet. The elite Shinobi winced at the utter shock that froze the girl's features in only a matter of seconds.

"Evidence of his caravan was found near the Village of Bassai on the border to Tsuchi no Kuni. Unfortunately there are no other traces or remains."

"W-W....H-How..."

"The funeral will take place in three days in front of the Cenotaph. The Sandaime-Hokage-Sama expressly wishes that you join him for the ritual."

The air had frozen in her lungs, an odd buzzing covering her senses. She had a strange sensation of tingling from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. Suddenly the hallway felt a lot tighter than it actually was, the shadows deeper and darker than they had been moments before.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't notice the operative leave.

XXXXXXXXX

Zabuza and Haku departed from the other two's company before the sun set and Naruto and Jiraiya continued on to the bustling city of Otafuku Gai, arriving amidst the clamour of the day's end. Merchants hurried around packing up their stalls, some calling out to each other as they prepared to return home. Naruto and Jiraiya walked through the commotion, their gazes glancing around and taking in the environs that had been their goal.

To Naruto, it was totally different from Konoha. The roads were more crowded, the surface chopped and harder to navigate without watching out for small obstacles along the way. The colours of the stands and shop signs were too bright, almost gaudy in design, the shelves packed to the brim with all sorts of goods and no order to where things were placed. There was a lingering scent of frying fat and meat on the air, the heavy smell causing his stomach to rumble.

"Hungry?"

Naruto looked away ashamedly.

"A bit."

He glanced up surprised as Jiraiya's hand found its way to his head and ruffled his spiky hair slowly.

"What did you think of Haku?"

They continued walking; discussing his training and the two friends they had met that day. Jiraiya pointed out that it was time for him to learn the best Bunshin that could be taught in Konoha since the others were defunct when it came to producing techniques or moulding Chakra. Naruto laughed at his attempt at critically analysing the day's training, earning himself a punch to the head from the grinning Toad Summoner.

They turned into a seedier road that ran off from the main walkway into Otafuku Gai. Naruto noticed the stark change from slightly run down to overly sized advertisements, crooked and cracked overhangs and the stench of rubbish pervading the area. It was like walking into a river; the change was so sudden that it made his stomach turn. Naruto turned to his 'sometimes-Sensei' tentatively.

"Ero-Sennin...what are we doing here?"

Jiraiya looked ahead.

"Looking for Tsunade."

Naruto frowned.

"She's here? This doesn't look like a place someone like her would hang out."

Jiraiya chuckled throatily.

"This is EXACTLY the kind of place she would hang out! But we're not here to see her just yet; it's to find out where she actually is."

Naruto nodded uncertainly but kept pace beside the tall Shinobi. The buildings were dotted with gambling parlours and run-down shops that looked dodgy. He wouldn't want to set foot in there at all.

"But first, let's get something to eat, eh?"

They entered a small cafe jammed awkwardly between a house that looked too big for the road and a Vegetable Stall that was the exact opposite. The inside was far different to what it appeared on the outside though; the decor calming creams and browns that melded with the quiet atmosphere. Naruto breathed in deeply as they navigated the almost abandoned serving hall. Jiraiya was about to slump heavily into a chair when a loud screech tore through the atmosphere.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE! HE'S DONE IT AGAIN! SHIZUNE, WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GONNA POTTY-TRAIN THIS PUG?!"

The Gama-Sennin's eyes lit up as a snarl of anger rose from a partitioned area at the back of the hall. Someone cursed heavily, Naruto cackled when he heard the word 'crap', and a petite, black haired woman hurried from behind the paper divide holding a small pink pig at arm's reach. She froze in shock when she almost bumped into Jiraiya.

"J-Jiraiya-Sama?"

They regarded each other for a few moments before the red-clad ninja nodded in greeting. The woman, Naruto noticed, had shoulder length hair that fell in a perfect incomplete circle around her head. Her skin was fair, her clothes neither rich nor immoral, rather they hung off her slightly limp as if they were a size too big. Her black eyes were soft revealing her caring disposition although she was clad entirely in black. Perfect colours for a Shinobi Naruto thought.

"Tsunade-hime back there?"

Shizune nodded quickly.

"Yes, she is. Are you here to see her?"

Jiraiya winked at her and pointed to his young companion.

"No, but he is."

Shizune noticed a shorter mop of hair for the first time.

"Oh I'm so sorry! And who might you be?"

Crouching down in front of him, she looked kindly into his brilliant eyes, her breath catching in her throat as she witnessed the incredible Sapphire the shifted ever so slightly as he regarded.

"Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name Nee-chan?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. Nee-chan? Naruto hardly ever addressed people with familiarity and he could count them on two hands. For some reason, Tsunade's apprentice seemed to have taken a shining to the boy.

"I'm Shizune. Why do you want to see Tsunade-Sama?"

"OI SHIZUNE! WHAT'S GOING ON OUT TH-"

The shout was followed by silence.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiraiya grinned at his ex-teammate.

"Yo Tsunade! That's not a nice way to meet a friend after so long!"

Tsunade glared at him. Jiraiya looked down as his sleeve was tugged.

"Neh, neh, Ero-Sennin, is that lady really 50 years old?"

Jiraiya chuckled throatily.

"Yeah, she is. You can't tell because she's using a Jutsu to cover it up. She's really wrinkly and-"

"JIRAIYAAAAAAAAAA!"

With a small boom, the Legendary Shinobi was blown backwards from the force of the punch that slammed into his sternum. Naruto's eyes widened in shock; the force was unreal!

Jiraiya raised himself from the hole in the wall he had smashed head-first into as if crashing through a wall was a common occurrence to him. Standing, he brushed himself down and waved a conciliatory hand in the air.

"Sorry, sorry. We came to see you Tsunade, the Gaki here wanted to meet you."

The Legendary Medic turned calculating eyes to the youngest occupant of the room and it was at that point that Naruto began to realise just who he was facing.

There was just something about the Sannin, he mused, an aura of power that simmered behind their limbs and their eyes. It was a kind of glow that only seemed to appear in the Shinobi who had reached that kind of strength. She was of medium height, her build neither slender nor pudgy. Her hair was tied into two identical pig-tails that hung on either side of her back. Her eyes, and it was the eyes that Naruto found told the most about people, were a chocolate colour, yet slightly misted as if she didn't really care who or what she was looking at.

"Baa-chan, you're starin' at me."

"What did you just call me?!"

Naruto cocked his head.

"Baa-chan? You're fifty years old right? That's what Ero-Sennin told me..."

Tsunade glanced between the two.

"Quite the joker you picked up this time Jiraiya. But then again, the last one wasn't any better was he?"

Jiraiya's eyes changed. They grew cold and hard, something Naruto had never seen before. The temperature in the restaurant became frigid all of a sudden.

"Do you know who this boy is?"

Tsunade snorted as Shizune glanced between them quickly.

"Nobody important that's for sure."

Jiraiya shook his head sadly.

"How you have fallen, Tsunade. This is Uzumaki Naruto."

The Medic's eyes widened imperceptibly.

'_The Kyuubi's Container!'_

Tsunade took an involuntary step back.

"Th-This is the infamous Cloud Rider of Konoha? The one who sent Iwa, Oto and Kumo into chaos just by his presence?"

Naruto pointed his finger at her defiantly.

"HEY! I'll have you know that those freakin' Oto and Iwa punks don't even know how to name things! 'Cloud Rider' sounds awesome compared to them, right?"

Shizune sweat-dropped. This was the boy who painted the Raikage's face in his sleep without getting caught?

Tsunade's glared down at him.

"Who cares who he is? I don't want to see him so you two can scram!"

Shizune rounded on her Sensei in shock.

"Tsunade-Sama!"

Jiraiya stuck his hand into the air to get them to stop.

"Hear him out first, ok? You'll do that at least won't you?"

The blonde glared at her teammate for a while before crossing her arms and clicking her heel against the floor.

"Fine! But hurry up, I don't have all today."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her and crossed his arms too. What a horrible lady!

"I heard you were the best Medical ninja in the world see, and I thought you were a nice person! Ero-Sennin, I don't think she could heal Shisui anyway!"

Jiraiya sighed at the inevitable outburst.

"What's that supposed to mean you brat?! I _am_ the best medic in the World!"

Naruto's lip curled as he regarded her.

"Oh yeah? I bet you couldn't even beat me in a fight you old hag!"

Tsunade's face turned red from her ire as she glared down her nose at the insolent youth. How dare he come barging in here and then question her skills?! It was the height of ill-manners!

"You, me, outside. Now!"

"Tsunade-Sama! I don't think that-"

"Shizune."

"H-Hai!"

"Shut up."

ZZZZZZZZZ

And so the first chapter closes on the Tsunade arc. Things should be interesting and I hope I've portrayed her personality accurately this chapter. I did use the manga as a reference point as always and so I hope that it came across as realistic.

Chapter Notes:

Jyu-Ryu Daisho (Literally 'The Ten Dragon Daisho') – A Daisho is a Wakizashi and Katana that used to be standard fare for Samurais in Japan. In K:NP, Zabuza was referring to the five pairs of swords of legend that will be explained later on.

Geography of Hi no Kuni – The city layout of Fire Country was taken from the leafninja website. The map shows Tanzaku Gai as to the South of Konoha and I have assumed that Tokkuriji is below it. I have placed Bassai near the border of Earth Country and so it is to the North of Konoha. This is why the Sandaime says that they are on the opposite sides of the country.

No highlights this week because I just couldn't be bothered to post them up. There were some hilarious reviews though and I just don't have the energy to look them up right now. Hopefully I can be forgiven for this!

So I hope you all enjoy it and as always, do leave a review and tell me what you think!

~B


	42. Chapter 42

Hello and welcome to the 42nd (whew, that far already?!) instalment of Naruto's Playground! This chapter, I felt, was one of my best, both in terms of content and semantics. But I'll reserve judgment until everyone gives me their thoughts!

Before we get to the highlights, I'd just like to apologise to anyone who didn't get a reply to a review. It seems that my inbox is playing up again and it chooses to send some and sit tight with others. Rest assured that I have read all of them and particularly enjoy reading every single review I get! So please don't be disheartened! I'm trying to fix the problem though, so we'll see what happens!

Review highlights go to jolteonforever for a simply FANTASTIC review that left me smiling at the screen for five minutes (and if you thought 41 was missing something, this one should more than make up for it!), Rikodou-Sennin for working out something which nobody else did, XL for a hilarious review with asking how Shisui made it as an ANBU Captain without ever being ANBU (He was! At the same time Itachi was actually! Didn't I make it clear?) and John D for raising an excellent point at Naruto's current power level (which is explained in this chapter might I add!).

This time's story highlight goes to 'The Golden Fox' by Nyce456. Now usually I would never recommend a story that has already done exceptionally well, but this one was one of the first stories I read and had one of the best OCs ever created in Fanfiction. It starts of shaky, both in terms of the writer's ability and in terms of spelling and grammar (although that might have been rectified since he has a beta...) but he improves immensely as the story continues. A must-read for any Naruto fan!

And lastly, if anyone has book 9 of the Pendragon Series by D J Machale called 'Raven Rise' in pdf format, I'd forever place you amongst the best of the best if you sent it to me!

So chapter 42. FIGHT!

ZZZZZZZZ

Last time, before the evil cliff-hanger thingy:

"**Oh yeah? I bet you couldn't even beat me in a fight you old hag!"**

**Tsunade's face turned red from her ire as she glared down her nose at the insolent youth. How dare he come barging in here and then question her skills?! It was the height of ill-manners!**

"**You, me, outside. Now!"**

"**Tsunade-Sama! I don't think that-"**

"**Shizune."**

"**H-Hai!"**

"**Shut up."**

ZZZZZZZZZ

Tsunade of the Sannin stomped angrily from the door of the small cafe in a run-down district of Otafuku Gai, her complexion rosy in evident anger. She was followed by a harried looking Shizune and Jiraiya who sighed wearily yet his small smirk belying the true emotions he was feeling behind the mask of apparent exasperation. The last person to exit the squeaking glass door was none other than the challenger of the pack.

And he was raring to go.

"Tsunade, I don't think this is a very wise course of action."

Tsunade turned glowering eyes on her erstwhile teammate.

"Shut it, Pervert. If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it."

The Gama-Sennin sighed again before grinning. Hopefully Naruto would teach her a thing or two. There was no doubt she'd be shocked when she would see him pull _that_ off!

As the two settled about five metres away from each other at the centre of the pockmarked road, the Legendary Medic rounded or her young opponent.

"Right Gaki, you wanted a fight so you've got one. Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is!"

Jiraiya's eyes lit up. Oh, this was too good to let go!

"Heh, Tsunade, you can't do that either can you?"

"SHUT UP!"

Jiraiya chuckled heartily. He still had it, oh yeah, he was good!

Naruto glanced around sceptically.

"Err...you sure you wanna fight out here old hag? Things might get a bi-"

"You wanted a fight and now you're chickening out? Jiraiya, you sure know how to pick them!"

Naruto growled at the rude challenge. That wasn't even funny; she was attacking his pride as a person and that was unacceptable in his book. His head lowered and his shoulders tensed ever so slightly as the air became charged with tension.

"So you won't mind me going full out?"

He spoke his question quietly and Tsunade cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Brat, do you get who you're facing? Nothing you pull out of that stupid blond head could possibly hurt me. Do whatever you want."

Her eyes grew wide when his head rose, a manic grin stretched from ear-to-ear. There was no warning, no signal. He was simply in one place one moment, and the next he was right beside her, a glowing ball of Chakra revolving furiously in his hand.

Tsunade gasped.

'_RASENGAN!'_

In her shock, she reacted on instinct; fighting habits ingrained into her body and mind through countless battles and wars. Her hand slammed down on the ground the brick and mortar crumbling in a line of frightening strength. Naruto leapt to the side quickly, he barely made it from the attack unharmed.

"OH! It's you! I remember you! You're that lady who got caught by those evil men!"

A resounding 'Huh?' went up from the other three. TonTon grunted in the stranglehold Shizune had on him.

"Neh, neh! It was you right? I've seen that move before! You used it on those guys that came to take your money!"

Jiraiya voiced the question on everyone's mind.

"What are you talking about Naruto?"

Naruto turned to him, the dispersing revolutions of the destructive orb disappearing from his cupped hand.

"Remember when I left the Village Ero-Sennin? I went to this town on the way to the stony country right? I met her," he punctuated his sentence with a jab in Tsunade's direction "fighting off a bunch of people who wanted to steal her money! She used the same move on them that time!"

Jiraiya turned questioning eyes to Shizune who mouthed 'debt collectors' to him. He clutched his stomach as he broke out into a fit of laughter once again. Tsunade stood to the side with her mouth slightly parted in surprise. At Jiraiya's laugh, she snapped from her funk and glared at him.

"Jiraiya...what the hell have you been teaching this brat?!"

The Gama-Sennin straightened up from his mirth.

"Nothing much. He learnt the Rasengan all on his own. I just told him what to do. I wasn't even there when he pulled it off for the first time actually!"

Tsunade snarled.

"That's an A-Rank assassination Jutsu! This boy can't even be a Jounin yet! He doesn't have that kind of access much less to the _Yondaime's personal Ninjutsu!_"

Jiraiya's eyes hardened slightly. He knew what she meant. She was addressing what Minato had informed them before he died; his missive that had reached them after the Kyuubi had been sealed.

"I'll ask you that again: Don't you know who that is?"

Tsunade's mouth clicked shut. Who the hell cared whose son he was?! Relation had nothing to do with anything! She was the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage for crying out loud!

She turned back to the blond Jinchuuriki.

"So you can do the Rasengan? So what? You think that's impressive? You haven't done anything to prove me wrong yet. What's wrong brat? Having second thoughts?"

Naruto snapped. He'd kept his cool, he'd stayed his peace. She'd attacked him physically and psychologically. He'd even showed her the technique he was sure that would surprise her. It HAD surprised her and she knew it, but she refused to accept it! It was like she was running away from the truth!

That was it, he couldn't take it anymore. He was going all out and she was gonna pay for underestimating and goading him as much as she did!

Wind Chakra sprang up below his elbow as he danced within her guard. Her chocolate eyes barely tracked him in time to lean her head away from the attack. Naruto's fist crashed with enormous force into the wooden shack that was directly next to the cafe. With a resounding 'BOOM!' the entire structure was blown to bits under the lethal blow it had sustained.

Jiraiya smirked. That was it. He wished he had his camera with him right now because Tsunade was going to totally creep out about it!

"W-Was that-"

Jiraiya turned to Shizune.

"H-How could he know Tsunade-Sama's strength technique?"

Jiraiya chuckled quietly.

"Not quite Shizune-chan. Not quite. Whilst Tsunade-hime uses raw Chakra to power her blows, her fist doesn't actually make contact with her target. Naruto's did. There's a difference here."

Shizune continued to stare wide-eyed at the spectacle in front of her but her reaction was nothing to her master's. Tsunade herself stood stock-still, her breath caught in her mouth, the shattered food stall behind her setting a grim background to the scene. As the swirling smoke and dust began to settle, she realised that Naruto hadn't removed his fist from beside her cheek. The next thing she noticed was that his knuckles were bleeding profusely and it was at that moment that she realised two things in quick succession, the second more lingering and shocking to her than the first.

It wasn't her strength technique that he had used although it had looked like it. The telltale whoosh of Fuuton Chakra before he had punched and the obvious damage to his fist a testament to the fact that he had simply bolstered a normal punch with a horrifying amount of the Elemental Chakra in order to speed up how fast the punch came flying forward, increasing the force behind the blow exponentially.

The second thing she noticed was that he was bleeding, and that blood, that sticky, crimson, detestable blood, was right next to her cheek.

She shrieked, the sound sharp and grating on the ears as she fell backwards onto her behind amidst the smoking wooden rubble. Her eyes could not leave the injured appendage, the blood streaming down his knuckles and dripping onto the floor. She retched, her stomach emptying its contents beside her, but still, she couldn't take her eyes from the fresh liquid of life as it fell in some morbid interest that chilled her entire being.

Naruto cursed. He'd done it again and this time he didn't have the excuse that it was a life or death situation. He knew he was being stupid getting all worked up that the Medic's idea he had used to design his technique, the one that had given Anko the initial basis with which to derive the Kazeken from, so that he could compare them in his excitement. It was obvious to him which was superior: Tsunade wasn't clutching her hand in agony was she?

He looked down at her through the dizzying pain. Huh. She was cowering on the floor, one hand held up to shield her face as if to ward off some kind of attack. He glanced around before looking back at her. What could she possibly be so afraid of? She had dodged his attack easily even though it had to have surprised her with the speed and power he'd put behind it. He looked to her eyes, the brown orbs quivering madly in their sockets. Her entire frame was rocked with shivers unlike anything he had seen before.

And then he realised she was staring at his knuckles, more specifically, at the blood running rivulets between them.

He snorted. This was Tsunade of the Sannin? The Legendary Medic? The one who was said to be able to cure any ailment, any injury?! She was afraid of _blood?!_

He raised a Chakra charged fist to her head and she flinched.

"Pathetic."

He caught himself as he'd said that, horror growing within his being. Who had said that to him? Where had that come from? Wasn't that the same word Orochimaru used when facing opponents weaker than himself? He shook himself. He was _never_ going to fall to that level.

He looked back at Jiraiya's old teammate, his fist tapping the centre of her forehead lightly.

"Bam. You're dead."

XXXXXXXX

Tsunade couldn't move. She couldn't tell where she was. For some reason the faces of Dan and Nawaki rose alongside the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki as if supporting him. Was she here or was she in the past? Was she reliving a memory or was she seeing the future?

She couldn't tell, she could hardly breathe. The world had stopped, her breath had stopped. Her mind was consumed with the dripping droplets of the malevolent liquid that had claimed her brother and fiancé.

'_No.'_

'_Not again.'_

'_Never again.'_

She flinched as the boy raised a fist.

'_Nawaki?'_

'_Dan?'_

It rose towards her forehead, glowing in righteous royalty as if she deserved the punishment.

'_You're...hitting me?'_

'_For what?'_

'_Why?!'_

Blood. It was blood. She could feel it. The detestable liquid that had claimed her family and friends. The malicious stream that had driven her from her home.

"_And that's why I want to become Hokage!"_

Blood. It was the first, it was the last. The thing you were born with, the thing you died with. She knew the importance, she was an Iryou-nin and yet, she couldn't begin to understand why, why such a thing could be so evil, could destroy her world and her family and her friends...

As if a balloon was popped, a balloon stretched far beyond its rightful capacity, the seal on her forehead, the Infuuin, released itself. The ocean of Chakra she had used as a reserve store for decades roared through her veins like a mighty dragon, revitalising her, removing her worries and fatigue.

Suddenly blood didn't look so bad anymore.

Later she would speculate what triggered her loss of her phobia. Maybe it was the shock of that much Chakra rushing through her body in a situation where she was frozen from the sight of the life-giving substance, maybe it was because she'd finally realised that to blame such an inanimate liquid on the death of her loved ones was so incredibly _silly_ that it could never have happened. She would never know for sure, but there was one thing she did know.

Nawaki.

Dan.

_Naruto._

XXXXXXX

Naruto leapt back as an explosion of solid Chakra ripped from the body of the downed Medic. He stared incredulously at his fist; there was no way he put that much Chakra into it! That would be insane! She would have been dead many times over if he'd touched her head with something like that!

His eyes snapped back to her straightening form, a twisting, symmetrical purple seal spreading from the middle of her forehead where a small diamond had resided. He hadn't paid any heed to it but now he realised what it was.

It was a seal. Some kind of special Storage Seal if the design was anything to go by. He snapped from his thoughts. He didn't have the luxury of analysing it right now. The famed Medic was up and she looked incensed.

Tsunade stood to her full height, Chakra whipping around her form like a tornado of power. The powdered rubble blew up around her, concealing her form at irregular intervals. Her eyes had turned a purer brown; clear and almost orange in colour. One arm hung in front of her torso, her head tilted ever so slightly forward, enhancing the image of a dangerous beast.

"Gaki...you've done it now."

"Done what?"

Tsunade breathed in deeply.

"No choice then eh? You won't back down?"

Naruto snorted derisively.

"Hell no! I'm takin' you down Baa-chan!"

**BOOM!**

Her hand exploded outwards, a sonic boom resounding from the speed of her punch. Naruto trembled in his sandals; that was _insane!_ He barely made it out alive, having to throw himself onto his butt to avoid the blow that would have removed his head. Scrambling backwards he leapt up, hands flying through handseals at a rapid pace.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Justu!"

He disappeared into the ground whilst the smoke hid him from her line of sight.

Tsunade smirked. How naive.

Another explosion of rubble tore through the area as her fist cratered the ground in one fell swoop. Naruto leapt out of the ground as fast as he could.

"What the hell old hag! That's cheating!"

Tsunade smiled tauntingly.

"Oh yeah? By whose rules? I suppose you want to become Hokage too?"

"_Because it's me dream to become Hoka-"_

Naruto balked.

"What?! Hell no! I'm not even a Shinobi!"

Her blood ran cold. He didn't want to become Hokage? Dan wanted to become Hokage, Nawaki wanted to become Hokage but he...What was he here for then? She hesitated for a moment before turning to Jiraiya once more.

"Jiraiya...is he telling the truth?"

She received an emphatic nod as her answer.

"You mean to tell me he's not a ninja?!"

"Yeah, something like that." Jiraiya replied hastily.

"So how the hell does he know Shinobi techniques?! How did Sensei allow this?!"

Jiraiya said nothing.

"Tsunade-Sama! Look out!"

Her head snapped around in time to duck a Rasengan, this one so close that it blew back her hair. In his haste he'd made a fatal mistake; his jump was too high, his lunge too wide. He'd left his entire torso undefended in that moment and he'd pay for it. Her arms snapped out delivering a vicious haymaker right to his chest.

Naruto didn't know what happened. One moment he was lunging forward and the next he was looking up at the sky. That lasted only a moment too, because almost immediately he began to spin so fast that he had no sense of up or down. The world zipped around him; he thought he caught a glance at Shizune terrified face for a second before he was once again looking at the sky. He was twisting at such high speed that he felt as if his brain was knocking against the side of his skull.

And that couldn't be healthy could it? Anko-nee would probably laugh at him for that.

Shizune cried out and Jiraiya winced as Naruto crashed head-first into the building across the street. That could have been fatal. He didn't just make a hole in the wall, the whole thing ruptured as he cannoned through its surface.

"Tsunade! You went too far this time!"

She stared at him dispassionately.

"He came here looking for me. He insulted me, as a medic and as one of the Sannin. He should have known what he was getting himself into."

"You could have killed him!"

Their argument was interrupted when they heard a small groan from the destroyed shop front of the building he had collapsed into.

"...ohhhh...crap, what the hell hit me?"

Tsunade stared.

He was still conscious.

That shouldn't be possible, not with the amount of Chakra she put into it. It was enough to cave his skull in. Had she not connected cleanly enough?

He stood on shaky feet, his knees straightening in a wobbly way as pieces of brick work and dirt bounced off his clothes and fell to the floor. He was covered in dust and chips of the building that had fallen on him as he'd made his impromptu entrance.

"Still want to fight brat?"

His head rose slowly and she almost recoiled as she glimpsed his eyes from under his bangs. His form was shadowed, his face more so than the rest and yet his eyes, those beautiful, wondrous windows to the soul, a pure azure, raging and gleaming with such intensity that it took her breath away. A shiver ran up her spine. If ever she needed proof that he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, it was at that point that she lost any doubts.

"I'm never-"

His hand rose in front of his face.

"Ever-"

It tightened into a fist.

"Gonna abandon MY FRIENDS!"

And then he was there, nose-to-nose in front of her, and as she leaned back to dodge his punch she realised the significance of what had happened. When she'd sent him flying into that wall, a large section had caved in and rolled out into the street. He'd replaced himself in that instant with it and without handseals.

He'd performed a seal-less Kawarimi no Jutsu with no smoke, no evidence that he'd done so. Maybe he wasn't so bad, maybe he was fighting so hard because he had something to prove, a promise to live up to perhaps. But he couldn't beat her; she was far too experienced and wily for that. Maybe if he'd surprised her he could have touched her but he hadn't and he didn't. He wasn't goo-

An awkward noise forced itself from her throat as the bite of steel cut through her cheek. It healed almost instantly, the huge influx of Chakra doing its job. But the fact was, he'd hit her.

He'd _**hit her.**_

With a roar, her hands glowed green with Chakra. She slammed her palms into his side as he flew past, his body trying to right itself in mid-air. He landed heavily, immediately spinning to face her once more-

And fell over unceremoniously.

"W-What?"

He tried to move, but he couldn't. He tried to roll onto his back but his body would not obey him. He could only stare around with his cheek pressed into the sandy gravel of Otafuku Gai. His eyes travelled until they rested on her seething form.

"You see that boy?! You're powerless against me. You can't move, you can't feel and do you know why?"

She stalked towards him, her heels clacking as they hit the ground.

"I hit you with the Ranshinshou. It changes my Chakra into a small, precise electrical charge that is dense enough to disrupt the current in your nervous system. It can be classed as temporary paralysis."

She stood over him, staring down her nose in superiority.

"Did you think you had me? Did you think for even a second that you'd won?!"

She snarled.

"THERE WERE PEOPLE BETTER THAN YOU WHO FAILED! THERE WERE PEOPLE FAR STRONGER THAN YOU WHO DIED BEFORE THEY REACHED THEIR GOALS!"

She turned her back, the ultimate insult.

"Hokage doesn't mean crap to me, and neither do you. Maybe we could have gotten on a little better if we'd met properly somewhere and sometime else, but you've failed. You've failed your friends like so many before you."

Jiraiya remained silent, his expression stony as he stared at his ex-teammate. She'd revealed her true personality. He was shocked by how much she'd changed in the decade and a half since they'd last met. She was bitter and angry, unable to contain the contempt she held for things that reminded her of her past, or more specifically, her past acquaintances. He glanced to his left and his anger only grew; Shizune stood appalled, a hurt look spread across her visage. He looked back at his godson.

'_Will you leave it like that...Naruto?"_

Tsunade paused as the sound of rubble scratching the ground reached her ears. She turned her head to look back over her shoulder. Naruto was forcing himself to move, his hands fisted on the cratered ground as he forced himself to overcome even his own body. Her eyes widened as she realised he was slowly making progress. His arms shook with the exertion, sweat streaming down his face and mingling with the mud and dirt caked over his features. His face was screwed tight, the muscles in his neck bulging as they sought to ignore the messages his brain was sending.

She gasped as he rose to one knee, his head rising like the prideful mane of a lion, the king of the jungle. His entire frame shivered and trembled as he threw all his weight to his supported leg, only to fall over sideways once again. He shouted in frustration at his plight. There was something, something erroneously fascinating that glued her eyes to his struggle.

Why was he trying so hard? Why was he struggling even though it was he who was on the floor, beneath her feet? What was so important to him, what was worth so much that he'd put all his effort and strength into trying to stand for that sake?

She almost cried out in shock when he shakily formed a few handseals causing a spark to leap between his outstretched fingers.

"Are you nuts?! You ca-"

He slammed the current into his chest, his back arching as the electricity flew through his veins. His eyes bulged in their sockets and his mouth widened in a soundless scream. It lasted for only a moment, a long, agonising moment, before his back fell to the floor with a thump. Tsunade released the breath she had been holding.

It was over. He was finally unconscious.

Shizune gasped and she raised her eyes snapped up once again.

"N-No way...that-that's not possible!"

He stood there, swaying from side-to-side like an inebriated teenager, his sweaty hair limp against his neck. His lips were dry and cracked from the intense Voltage that had poured through his body not moments before. He struggled forward, half walking, half limping, and swung at her with what remaining strength he could muster. She dodged the blow easily, but he kept on going in the direction he was travelling, his arms swinging wildly around him. Jiraiya pushed past her roughly.

"N-Naruto...you-"

Tears seeped from the corners of the Gama-Sennin's eyes. He was unconscious, totally catatonic. And yet still he stood as if by doing so he could win the fight and help his friends. Jiraiya spun around, his ire turning his complexion a deep red. Tsunade took a step back; never before had she seen the Toad Summoner as angry as he was.

"Do you see that?"

He pointed behind him.

"Do you see him standing there? Standing up to fight you to save his _friend?!_"

He didn't shout and she found herself wishing that he had. His voice held a rage, a fury so potent that it laced his voice like a tiger's growl. She looked away.

There was silence in the abandoned street as a small breeze played through the area, the only sound that of the small chunks of rubble and wood bouncing as they were caught in the wind. Jiraiya hugged his godson tightly. He'd fought amazingly well, but he just couldn't match up to an opponent of Tsunade's calibre without ever having fought her before. The Gama-Sennin had heard that he'd managed to fight Orochiimaru evenly for a time, but it was because he'd fought the infamous Nuke-nin so many times that he had a handle on his style. Tsunade was completely different. It was why they were feared as the Sannin in their time. Together, they had been nigh unstoppable, but individually they were so unique and different that they covered every weakness that the other had.

Another breeze wafted through the area blowing Tsunade's pig-tails to the side. She hadn't taken her surprised eyes off the boy who had fought so valiantly for something she could only hold in contempt. He'd fought so hard, so desperately. He'd even attacked himself when his body wouldn't react the way he wanted it to.

"Jiraiya."

He didn't turn around, his back still facing her.

"What did he come here for?"

When he spoke, the red-clad Shinobi's voice floated over her, a scratchy, haunted reply.

"His friend, _their_ friend. His name is Uchiha Shisui, one of the three survivors of the Uchiha Massacre. Sarutobi-Sensei authorised a mission to Namii no Kuni a few months ago to take out a base of Missing-nin harassing a Village close to the border. He'd just become an ANBU captain..."

"He wanted Naruto to join them for obvious reasons."

Tsunade stared.

"He's a civilian! Sarutobi would never allow that to happen!"

Jiraiya caught her eye, his gaze unyielding.

"You haven't been in Konoha, you don't know what kind of mistakes the old man has been making."

Her jaw worked as she ignored the barb.

"You saw his abilities. Sarutobi's been using him for the off job all these years even though he was never part of the Shinobi Programme. Maybe he allowed it on purpose; maybe he wanted something like that under his command, but in that mission..."

"Shisui was fatally stabbed by his cousin Itachi, a member of Akatsuki. You've heard of them?"

Tsunade nodded.

"Who hasn't?"

Jiraiya looked away as if it pained him to see her.

"Naruto blames himself. He thinks he had the power to stop it, or he was too weak to stop it and he should have been stronger. Shisui fell into a coma and was rendered paralysed from the shoulders down."

Tsunade gasped.

"But that means his CNS was hit! Was he stabbed in the back?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Right through the spine. The eighth Vertebra or something."

"Seventh."

He shot her a look and she shrugged sheepishly. Jiraiya carefully hoisted him up into a fireman's carry and Shizune hurried to his side, a diagnostic Jutsu already flaring in her hands.

Tsunade frowned and trailed behind them as Shizune led towards the hotel room they shared for the duration of their stay in Otafuku Gai.

She had a lot to think about tonight.

XXXXXXX

"So you didn't see anything out of the ordinary at all during your stay?"

Sarutobi clasped his hands in front of his nose as he held the attention of the three Chuunin in front of him.

"No, Hokage-Sama. We did not. We completed the guard detail as per the commands given to us. Higurashi-dono told us nothing about any potential plans and the companions of his caravan were eager to get home once their commerce was over."

The Sandaime sighed. His one lead was turning up in a dead end.

"Very well. That is all."

Saluting, the team of Konoha ninja departed through the main door to his office and Sarutobi waited until the door was firmly shut to drop his head onto the cool surface of his desk.

There was simply no explaining it. The caravan had left from Tokkujiri in the same timeframe Naoto had said it would only to be destroyed over fifty miles away on the other side of the country. What was even more mind-boggling was that there had been no evidence, just a smoking crater outside an even larger crater that had once been a Village. He was sure that the events in Bassai were somehow connected to this puzzle but for the life of him, he couldn't work out what that was.

A small tap alerted him to the presence of a tiny green toad on his desk. Its mouth opened wide and deposited a small scroll in a small pool of saliva on the varnished surface. Grimacing in disgust, he gingerly plucked the object from the sticky liquid and immediately rubbed it on the front of his robes to dry it. He pried the cap from the top and unrolled it swiftly, his eyes reading the scruffy text quickly.

Once he had finished reading, he simply sat at his desk unable to form words.

Jiraiya's network had provided the answers he had been seeking. But these answers...

Springing from his seat, his aging joints groaned in protest as he hurried to his personal library. He quickly slapped a Chakra filled hand onto the security seal and almost ripped the door from its hinges in his haste. Stepping inside, he shut the door and paced to the far wall of the row upon row of scrolls that were held in the Hokage's store.

He spent half an hour searching for what he was looking for in one section, another hour sorting through the potentially correct and then finally, he unfurled a scroll he felt would give him the answers.

When the Bijuu had first been documented in the Elemental Nations, there had been no doubt that there were nine in total. Some had been spotted, some hadn't. Most of the Bijuu had kept themselves to themselves until the Shodai and Nidaime went on their journeys. It was said that the Shodai could control them with an ability of his and that he was able to collect them and distribute them to the other nations as a deterrent against war. Even as their student, Sarutobi had never found any clues that hinted at this being the case but the evidence in the world spoke large volumes for this explanation. He knew that nearly each of the Elemental Nations had their own Bijuu, some having more than one. Yet there was one rumour that had spread before this that had never been accounted for.

That there was a tenth Bijuu, of what form and name, nobody knew.

The story of the Jyu-Ryu Daisho sent his mind into nostalgia, into a memory he would never have remember unless it had been triggered as it had been. It's funny, he mused, how the most insignificant of things could lead to things so much more important and transcendent than originally thought. He remembered a single phrase spoken by the Shodai to him in his youth. An off-hand comment that came back to him now so conveniently as if it was always there, waiting for the right time to show itself.

"_The ten claws of the Jyubi, eh? Hiru, shut up and use your stick!"_

That was it. The clue to this puzzle. His eyes travelled as fast as they could as he studied the scroll in front of him within the depths of the Hokage Tower in dim light. He breathed out slowly. This was it; his intuition wasn't mistaken.

The legend went that before the Jyubi relinquished its hold on the world, it bestowed ten of its claws to the mightiest warriors of the age. It was said that three of the pairs were lost, the remaining four handed down from the elites of the Shinobigatana no Nananin Shuu before the formation of Kirigakure no Sato. However even those were lost over time; either buried so deep in some incomprehensible hiding place or simply washed away in the tides of time.

But that was beside the point. This was exactly the kind of thing that Naoto would go for and if he'd discovered that one of them had been found in Bassai...

He wouldn't think twice about hurrying there right away.

So it was safe to say that he'd heard about it in Tokkuriji after the Chuunin team had left. However, why was he attacked and for what reason? The only think Sarutobi could think of at this point was that someone else had found out about it and would stop at nothing to obtain such a weapon.

The Jyu-Ryu Daisho...they were said to be forged from the hardest material known to man. Nobody knew where the material had come from, but it had special properties that only those swords held. Some said they could cut through anything, others said they were the most efficient channels for Chakra and Elemental Chakra. What Hiruzen knew for sure was that they were no normal blades.

And Naoto had lost his life searching for it.

XXXXXXX

"So? What did you want to talk to me about?"

Tsunade and Jiraiya sat at the front of a small bar in Otafuku Gai. It wasn't a luxurious place; simple colours, white ceiling and no decorations. It only held a wooden table at one end behind which the barman scrubbed at a small glass expertly with a raggedy yellow chamois. Tsunade rested her chin on her elbows, slumping forward with her eyes directed ahead of her unseeingly.

"How's Sensei doing these days?"

Jiraiya turned to her, showing how he knew she was changing the subject, but he turned back to rolling the ice cubes in his empty glass of water he had so hurriedly gulped down when he'd ordered it.

"The Old Coot's doing fine. As fine as an old man can. You and I both know that he's far past his prime, he's doing admirably for someone who should be spending his days in a rocking chair out in the sunlight."

Tsunade grunted in an unladylike manner to show she had heard. She couldn't seem to get the image of Naruto's glowing blue eyes out of her mind.

"Is he...is he always like that?"

Jiraiya's glass clinked as it settled on the smooth mahogany of the bar's bench.

"Who?"

Damn him. He knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Naruto."

He glanced sideways at her, his gaze not giving anything away. After a moment, he chuckled slightly at something she obviously wasn't privy to. It was dark in the establishment, the small electrical lights barely illuminating the room enough to see. What little glow there was threw soft shadows on the walls and floor creating a sleepy atmosphere that lulled the occupants' speech into a low whine that only increased their indolence.

"Heh, he fought Oro-chan you know? Not just once either."

That got her attention. Her head rose slightly from her arms as she gazed at him sceptically.

"Really. He's alive."

Jiraiya shrugged.

"You heard what happened down in Rice a few years back? That was Naruto. He snuck into Oro's little boot camp and turned the place inside out in a week. Apparently he heard that our old teammate knew loads of techniques and so thought he might teach him something."

Tsunade groaned. How reckless. It sounded just like something he would do. Jiraiya chuckled again before continuing, picking up his glass once more.

"It was funny really. Oro-chan beat him up quite badly the first time they met. Naruto didn't take it lying down and that's what triggered his pranks all over Oto. You should have seen it Tsunade; the place was in uproar!"

Frankly, the legendary Medic had no idea what he was talking about. Jiraiya suddenly burst out laughing and she looked at him as if he was crazy. He waved a hand over his face.

"HAHA! You remember that time when he and Sensei were so interested in Chakra pathways and how animals are similar to humans?"

Tsunade grinned at that.

"How could I forget?" She replied.

"The look on his face when I found him chasing after Naruto in his very own Village...It was the same as when they trussed up that tiger and then attempted to skin it whole. I swear he had the same expression as when they cut into that vessel and the white liquid sprayed into his mouth!"

Tsunade made a retching noise and they both burst into a fit of laughter. It was one of their fonder memories although Orochimaru and their Sensei would most obviously disagree.

"I always thought he was so feminine that maybe something would have happened because of it! Never seen a cross between a tiger and a human before!"

Tsunade tried to croak out a response as she laughed but her mouth was too busy clamping down on the mirth she knew would give her a stomach ache the next morning. Jiraiya wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand lightly.

"He captured Naruto of course, must've tortured him for a bit as well. Naruto doesn't talk about that bit though. Guess it's not something he'd want to remember."

Tsunade returned to her slumped position, her arms pulling inwards in a rare show of insecurity.

"Ho-how come he doesn't want to become Hokage?"

It was a small question, said so quietly that Jiraiya had to strain his ears to hear it. He knew how significant the answer would be to her; he knew she thought he was like her brother and fiancé.

"He's had a hard life Tsunade. Far harder than he deserves. I'm not sure what caused his loathing of Shinobi in general, but he was in the Uchiha District when the Massacre occurred. Sensei told me that he'd used him for a mission before that which went badly wrong and he was forced to witness an assassination at the age of six."

Tsunade gasped softly.

"What happened?"

Jiraiya frowned.

"It's top secret. Highest level in fact. I'm not sure I should tell you."

Tsunade stared at him, holding his searching gaze coolly for a while. His eyes lingered on hers as he turned back to his ice cubes, half melted by now.

"Naruto said he saw Uchiha Madara, although I'm not sure I believe it. He was young and terrified at the slaughter that he'd unknowingly run into."

Tsunade shivered. The conversation had taken a dark turn, one she was not so sure she wanted to know.

"It fits though. In fact it would explain a lot of things that I don't have answers for. He said that Madara told him that the Kyuubi was his pet."

Tsunade closed her eyes, the quiet drone of the other occupants washing over her, pulling her to sleep like a warm blanket in the dead of night. Her eyes slowly opened, revealing misty eyes as if she wasn't quite aware of what was going on around her.

"Then...the attack on October the tenth..."

Jiraiya nodded solemnly.

"Exactly. It would mean that the entire thing was his twisted plan of revenge for Konoha."

A companionable silence descended between them, only disturbed when Jiraiya suddenly raised his glass to his lips to slurp up the melted ice. He shivered as it hit his tongue.

"Ahhh...that's cold!"

His chair legs scraped on the floor as he stood up and gently placed the glass back on the counter. She remained sitting as he wordlessly left, a different sort of silence taking hold of her. She was alone now, and she felt more alone than she'd ever been in her whole life.

XXXXXXX

In a dark and damp cave in the bowels of Ame, four Shinobi stood. The infamous Nuke-nin of Akatsuki, the upper echelons of an organisation so dangerous that their very name was feared.

"Then I shall be leaving."

Pain turned to the young Uchiha, his grey, ringed eyes boring holes into his head.

"Make sure that you do. We will be very displeased with you should you fail."

Itachi did not bother to acknowledge the threat, his ponytail swinging as he turned abruptly and began his journey to Konoha.

Uchiha Madara watched him go with a calculating gaze. Once he had left the cave he turned to his companion.

"I will go myself."

Pain sucked in a breath.

"Uchiha-san, there is no need for you at this point. We-"

"I said I shall capture the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki myself!"

Pain's eyes closed slowly.

"Do you not trust him?"

Madara laughed, the sound like the bark of a dog.

"Why don't you answer that for me?"

Without waiting for another word, he swept from the stone enclosure, his cloak sweeping the ground below his feet. Just before he exited, he paused and left his final thoughts with the Missing-nin.

"Konoha will be left weak. It shall be the perfect chance. I must confess...I am intrigued as to his growth."

A bolt of lightning illuminated the entrance where he stood, and as darkness fell in its wake, the Scion of the massacred clan disappeared into shadow.

ZZZZZZZ

And CUT! Not much to say, so here's the chapter notes:

Chapter Notes:

Ranshinshou - Chaotic Mental Collision

Character Use: Tsunade  
Rank: A  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)  
Type: Supplementary

Ranshinshou is a Ninjutsu technique used by the Sannin Tsunade. Changing the chakra in her hand into electricity, Tsunade can create an electric field to disrupt her targets nervous system. Because the brain and body communicate using electrical impulses, Tsunade can use the field to disrupt her targets ability to move. What results is commands to move one body part being relayed to another, making it near impossible for them to move unless they have high skill and understanding of the body.

Infuuin - Secret Mark Seal

Character Use: Tsunade  
Rank: S  
Range: -  
Type: Supplementary

Infuuin is a Fuuinjutsu technique developed by Tsunade that allows her to use the Souzou Saisei technique. Over a period of time, Tsunade will focus and build up chakra in the seal mark on her forehead. The release command will disperse the seal and allow the stored chakra to pump back into her body.

Oh, and before I forget, a short little Omake to tide you over. Yes, Ageant, _that_ one.

ZZZZZZZZZ

Omake: Extending Chakra!

XXXXXXXX

"Neh, neh, Ero-Sennin!"

Tsunade, Shizune and the aforementioned pervert directed their gaze to the almost bubbling blond rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet.

"What is it Naruto?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head lightly in embarrassment.

"See, you know how you said that the Rasengan training was for seeing how far I can extend my Chakra from my body?"

Jiraiya nodded, perplexed.

"Yeah, it was for training you to do it I suppose. So what?"

Naruto jumped forward excitedly, extending his two hands and forming Rasengans in both of them.

"Well, I thought why not juggle with them?"

Jiraiya leapt from his chair immediately.

"NARUTO! STOP! DON'T DO I-"

Too late. The incongruous teenager had already thrown them upwards to fulfil his ever unsatisfied mind. Jiraiya watched in slow motion as the glowing balls of blue descended on the boy's head and tore through his skull like it was wet tissue paper.

Yes, Uzumaki Naruto, the Konoha Jinchuuriki of the fearsome Kyuubi no Youko, had died. Juggling Rasengans.

In the 'post-tragedy' silence, the Kyuubi was released from his seal and stood looking down at the mauled body of his once-container. It laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

"What a clown."

And then it walked away, its footsteps causing deadly fires to spring up beneath it.

ZZZZZZZZ

And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed it and do leave a review telling me what you think!

Ja ne!

~B


	43. Chapter 43

Welcome to Chapter 43 of K:NP! Did anyone realise that that just rhymed? Ehehehehe...

Aaanyway! Review highlights this time go to greywizard-dumblemort for an excellent analysis of whether or not Naruto was portrayed as too weak last chapter, Karibanu (hopefully you'll love this one then!), jolteonforever for a...stunning review that left me muttering nonsensical phrases out of awe, knuckz for pointing out that Tsunade will have to be very different than from canon, Lord Ezra-eil for a hilarious review and darknessoftherighteous for only saying 'lol?'

Fanfic Highlight goes to knuckz's very own 'Furuenjin', a delightful story of how Naruto would have reacted should he have been a seal genius. It truly is a one of a kind and I highly recommend that you read it and leave a review! He can design some of the best OCs on the site...

And before we begin, a few of you raised the point that even through the explanation given last chapter, Naruto should not have lost as badly as he did to Tsunade. I think I did go slightly over the top, but most seem to have an irrational hate of the blonde medic at this point for some reason or other. Hopefully, this chapter will assuage most of your worries though!

So we begin!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded to the other occupants in the room as he took his seat on the lavishly spread table among the Fire Country's Council. Glancing around, he took in the varying states of each of his companions in the Council Room, a room built specifically to house the men and women currently present. He eyes met the man sitting opposite him, his head ducking slightly in a barely perceptible nod.

On the right side of the table, five seats were occupied by Sarutobi's old teammates, Homura and Koharu, Konoha's tactician, Nara Shikaku, the head of ANBU and Danzou. On the left, all five seats were filled by the elders of the Fire Council, every one of them decked out in their large top hats and black cloaks. The symbol of fire was depicted above each of their faces, a testament to their prestige in Hi no Kuni.

But they were mostly insignificant. The most important attendee beside himself was the lord of Fire Country, the Daimyo's direct subordinate who answered to him and him alone. He sat facing the Sandaime at the head of the table.

"I trust that you are well, Hiruzen?"

Sarutobi nodded calmly.

"Indeed, my friend. As well as my old bones can be."

The Daimyo's subordinate chuckled slightly before snapping open the fan in his left hand with a sharp crack.

"Then it is time?"

Sarutobi held his gaze firmly for a moment before he nodded in acknowledgement. The head of the council turned to the other occupants, his eyes sweeping languidly over each head.

"We have been called forth this day to hear the Sandaime Hokage's recommendation for the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. Before we begin, I'd like to remind each and every one of you that this council is not here to question the word of our leader. We will listen and if we find his explanation to be sound then we shall accept it. If Hiruzen wishes, he can ignore our vote and instate his choice without our acceptance."

The other occupants nodded but Sarutobi realised that Danzo had not. He knew that most of the opposition to the selection would come from his rival and he had already decided what to do with it.

One of the advisors turned to him, an appraising look in his eyes as he removed his glasses and began polishing them with the corner of his robe.

"Who have you chosen, Hiruzen? Is it perchance, Jiraiya?"

Sarutobi drew in a breath and exhaled slowly. Standing from his chair, he faced the man opposite him directly.

"Before I begin, I would like to ask each of the members here their opinion of Uzumaki Naruto."

The Daimyo's subordinate raised a delicate eyebrow.

"The container?"

He shifted slightly at Sarutobi's nod.

"He is a strong child. I've heard of his childhood and I do believe that his personality is commendable given the circumstances that he has grown. But he is a civilian, what does he have to do with this meeting?"

Hiruzen glanced at Danzo quickly before facing the rest of the occupants.

"There is much that you do not know about him. For instance, were you aware that he is very capable in the Shinobi arts?"

This time both the man's eyebrows were raised in shock. Sarutobi pressed onward.

"He has, in fact, taken part in a few missions on the behalf of two of our previous ANBU captains. He played a vital role in the elimination of a spy in the Mizuki Incident. Similarly, he proved to be the key to our investigation into the Uchiha Massacre," he broke off for a moment, catching the single visible eye with which Danzou stared at him. "He has proved to be our backbone in many cases, the most recent mission to the border of Nami no Kuni and of course a spy he uncovered before the start of the Chuunin Exams."

A veil of silence fell on the inhabitants of the room, most eyes wide at the revelations handed to them not moments before. His eyes were drawn to Shikaku as the man cleared his throat.

"Are we discussing the same spy who Ibiki recently discovered was an ex-Iwa nin?"

Sarutobi nodded.

"The very same."

One of the advisors to his left, a stout man with pudgy features, frowned slightly.

"There have been certain...rumours regarding the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. The international community have come to us previously demanding his punishment due to a few past events."

Homura and Koharu glanced between them before Homura raised a hand to say his piece.

"Oh? And what do the rumours say?"

The man glanced around the table before leaning forward and resting his chin on folded hands.

"According to my sources, young Uzumaki-san broke into Iwa, Kumo and Oto completely undetected. He proceeded to pull the plug out from beneath Iwa and Oto and even went as far as antagonising each of those countries' respective Kages! I have also heard that he saved Nami no Kuni from the clutches of a tyrannical businessman and is the cause of our current prospering market on the Northern borders."

The table immediately erupted into conversation as the occupants turned to each other to confirm the surprising information given to them. Throughout the entire time, Sarutobi held the gaze of the Fire Lord calmly. The man's voice broke through the tumult.

"Is this true, Hiruzen?"

Sarutobi nodded emphatically.

"It is undoubtedly true that the reason Nami no Kuni was so ready to broker our current deal was entirely due to Naruto's actions there. The other occurrences are also true as far as I know. Naruto has currently left the Village to retrieve Tsunade along with her teammate Jiraiya."

The talking began again and the man opposite him nodded at him. Sarutobi smiled. It was not a myth; Naruto would truly be accepted by this council.

"Remarkable! And he is what...thirteen years old? Simply remarkable! But let us return to the reason we have gathered here today."

Sarutobi smiled benignly.

"That is precisely why I raised this topic. I wish to hand my hat to Naruto."

Like a switch was pressed, the entire table fell into silence, the audience stunned by the very suggestion. Shikaku began to chuckle beside him and Danzou's form raised from his seated position. This was it.

"Foolish. How very foolish of you Sarutobi. Do you really think that one as immature as he could run the affairs of a hidden Village? Have you not forgotten the number of pranks he pulls almost every week? What a preposterous idea!"

The Sandaime closed his eyes slowly. He knew this would happen, he even knew almost exactly what the old War hawk's argument would be. Yet his point was strong in the eyes of the audience and only Sarutobi knew better. There was a subtle shift in the amount of power held by each of the occupants at that point, possibly the very outcome Danzo had planned for.

"That is undoubtedly true, Hiruzen-kun. Perhaps it would be better to wait a few years after accepting him into the Shinobi Programme? Why not Jiraiya, I always had a shining for that student of yours..."

Shikaku cleared his throat after the Daimyo's subordinate finished, the scars on his face appearing far deeper in the candle light illuminating the room. His black hair was tied back in a scraggly knot that resembled a pineapple and yet when he spoke, the entire table listened. Such was the confidence that the tactician held in the eyes of his audience.

"I hardly think it wise to even suggest Jiraiya-Sama. It is true that he is one of the most suitable candidates in terms of strength, but is he capable on other fronts?"

Danzo's fist slammed into the table.

"And you think Uzumaki is?! Have you gone senile Nara?"

Shikaku's eyes flashed, but he covered his anger quickly. He turned his entire attention to the old one-eyed War Hawk. When he decided to reply, his voice came low and dangerous, a clear rebuttal on his tongue.

"Have you not heard, Danzo-dono? Have you not heard that young Naruto turned Orochimaru away on his own in Training Arena 44 during the Second Exam, and in doing so, rescued many of the students from certain death?"

Sarutobi smiled. Trust Shikaku to look from the most logical point of view. Danzo's argument was entirely refuted however...

"It is true," Sarutobi intervened, "that he may not be old enough to understand the depth of the position, however he has proven time and again that the Will of Fire burns strongly within him."

Danzo snorted, but Sarutobi pushed on.

"Did we not have the same discussion when I recommended Minato-kun? We are all aware of the Yondaime's capability when he took office."

Small murmurings rose again from the gathered occupants, no doubt discussing the different points of view presented so far, however, there was one party that was yet to speak up and the Daimyo's representative turned to him.

"ANBU Sou-taicho-dono. It would please me if you were to give your opinion on this matter."

The head of ANBU, the mysterious operative who worked directly under Sarutobi himself, inclined his head lazily. His voice was soft, barely carrying over the length of the table and the seated members had to lean forward to catch his words. It was this characteristic, coupled with the bleach-white, rounded mask that elicited a chill down the onlookers' spines.

"Uzumaki Naruto...he is a remarkable child. He has managed, on numerous occasions, too outwit and hide from the Shinobi population in the past. I have personally witnessed his abilities more than once."

Sarutobi's eyebrows rose. Oh? He was never informed that ANBU-kun had taken an interest in the boy. He found himself becoming more engrossed in his subordinate's words.

The head of ANBU said no more and the rest were left in anticipation of what he would have said if he hadn't stopped. Only Sarutobi was used to the unique personality of the Captain-General and so he chided him slightly.

"Please continue."

That subtle tilt of the head again. Hiruzen smirked; the Captain-General was amused at the sudden interest shown by his words.

"It would be wise not to...underestimate him. Yamato-Taicho found that was a...unsatisfactory thing to do."

"Can you believe what you are talking about?! This is the most absurd discussion I have had in my life! You are actually considering a teenager who is not even a Shinobi for the position of Hokage? Have you lost your minds?!"

Attention was once again drawn to Danzo as his argument echoed through the chamber ominously. The Daimyo's subordinate placed a small hand on his chin.

"A very capable teenager, however. How old were you, Hiruzen, when the Nidaime forced his...ah 'unwanted responsibilities' upon you?"

Sarutobi smiled in nostalgia.

"The years have forgotten me I'm afraid. I was slightly older than young Naruto is now."

A few of the table's occupants chuckled at his words and Sarutobi sat back comfortably. His day's work had been completed. His plan had been set in motion and Danzo could do nothing at this point.

"Very well then. We shall see if the Jounin accept this decision of yours as well. In the meantime, I shall inform the Daimyo of this development so you can be sure to hear his response in the near future."

Sarutobi glanced at his old rival and grimaced. He was clutching his cane in a death-grip, rage evident on his face. As long as the rest of Konoha accepted Naruto then Danzo could do nothing to stop him from his rightful place among the greats of Fire Country. Glancing away, he smiled.

'_Like father, like son. Na, Minato?'_

XXXXXXXXX

Naruto awoke groggily, his eyes opening only to snap shut at the searing pain that slammed into his head. Even with his eyes closed, the world spun round and round, making him feel as if he was on one of the merry-go-rounds he used to try spinning as fast as he could all by himself when he was younger. He groaned audibly as he lay on what was obviously a bed, waiting for the disconcerting mental revolution to stop. Eventually he felt it was safe enough to try again this time far more cautiously than before.

His eyes cracked open slightly and he blearily glanced around the room. It was a plain affair; four white walls with a single dresser pushed adjacent to the bed. A double window to his right was thrown wide open, the breeze gently catching the pale blue curtains, causing them to ripple like a pond. Slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position by placing his arms behind his back.

His head throbbed dully and he wondered what had happened.

'_What the hell hit me this time?'_

He reached a tentative hand up to his head only for his world to spin once again as his fingers made contact with his brow. He gasped but steadied himself before he fell back onto the sheets. He'd been punched, quite hard if the experience was anything to go by.

'_Huh...me and Baba were fighting_...she must've hit me...'

He winced as the door to the room opened quietly; the sound amplified a thousand-fold to his overly sensitive hearing. Shizune stepped in and recoiled slightly at seeing her charge sitting up already.

"Naruto-kun! You should be lying down!"

Naruto clapped his hands to his ears to stop the ringing and grimaced in pain. Shizune whispered a hurried apology as she strode to his bedside and forced a glass of water to his lips. He chugged the liquid down greedily as if he hadn't drank anything in days.

"How are you feeling?"

Naruto peered up at her and smiled wanly.

"Heh, never been better!"

Her lips twitched at the corners of her mouth at his bravery, the expression like a light bulb to the otherwise dreary atmosphere.

"I'm glad to hear that. I think Tsunade-Sama hit you a bit hard with that last punch before you...electrocuted yourself."

Naruto grunted. He knew he was crazy but the fight was still shrouded in fog to his mind for the moment.

"You know...I've wanted to know for a while now...why are you fighting so hard?"

Naruto stared out the window. It seemed as if they'd moved to the more wealthy side of Otafuku Gai. The buildings looked more complete and there weren't many signs of disuse or damage to the surroundings. The air was fresh and clean and the sun shone brightly, throwing its rays through the window like some kind of heavenly illumination.

"How long was I out?"

Shizune checked his forehead and then proceeded to dip the small cloth on the bedside table into a pitcher of cold water.

"Only a day. Tsunade-Sama said you'd be out for longer than that but Jiraiya-Sama didn't think so."

Naruto looked down at his hands, bunched up as they were on top of the sheets. It was then that his failure hit him; he'd been defeated, trampled upon, trashed at that. He'd barely touched Ero-Sennin's female teammate and she'd knocked him halfway to next week in two moves, only one of which was Ninjutsu. After all his words, all his boasting, he couldn't even do any damage to her at all.

"My friend...Shisui. He got injured real bad on a mission and...and Baa-chan's the only one that can fix him."

Shizune looked into his eyes only to find the anguish that was gripping his soul. Her heart almost broke at the sheer sadness that swirled in the eyes that should never appear in that way. She stood quickly, moving to the door and glancing back at him only once before leaving the room and closing the door softly behind her. She stood facing the wooden barrier for a while, biting her lip in anxiety.

"Did you hear all that, Tsunade-Sama? I think it would be best to leave him alone right now. You've only just recovered from the side effects of the Souzou Saisei after all."

She hurried past her Sensei without turning back. Tsunade cursed and punched the wall. So what if his friend was injured? Did that mean she had to heal every injury in the world? Was it her duty to do so?! She spun around to follow her student, stomping down the stairs to the ground floor.

A single tear fell from her chin, glistening as it hit the floor.

XXXXXXXX

"It's obvious from that what happened three days ago, that you aren't totally flexible when it comes to facing an opponent for the first time. That could cost you your life."

Jiraiya glanced around the small green field that he and his quasi-protégé were currently occupying. He was sure it was someone's backyard but nobody could refuse the Gama-Sennin now could they?

He grinned at the thought, turning back to catch the eyes of the blond-haired brat.

"So this time I'm not going to hold back. I'm going to come at you as if I was fighting a real battle. Are you ready for this?"

Naruto grinned widely.

"Bring it, Ero-Sennin! I'll hand your butt to you on a plate!"

Jiraiya looked down, causing his long, white hair to shroud his face in shadows. When he looked up, Naruto took a hasty step back at the expression of demented glee colouring his features.

"This is gonna hurt. Are you sure you're ready? You're not allowed to hold back like you did with Tsunade."

Naruto nodded hesitantly and that was all the signal that his sometimes-Sensei required. With a small pop, a clone appeared right behind him, slugging him on the base of his vulnerable neck. The force of the punch was incredible, not quite Tsunade-power, but respectable by itself. Naruto was jerked forward, his world teetering around him.

"H-HEY!-"

"SHUT UP!"

Naruto's head snapped to the side to avoid a Shuriken, quickly causing a focused amount of Wind Chakra to his right elbow allowing the extra momentum to twist away from its path at high speed though it cut a fine line into his cheek. He rolled away as fast as he could, disoriented as he was, from the blazing fireball that almost cooked his legs.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

Naruto's eyes widened. He was telling the truth; he was pulling no punches!

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he slammed his hands onto the quickly transforming sludge beneath his knees.

"Doton Kekkai: Dorou Doumu."

Immediately, a dumpling shaped chunk of earth covered the swamp that Jiraiya had made, solidifying into a surface that Naruto could at least walk on safely. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he sprang around the terrain; had he known that the Doryuu Dango could suck Chakra from things beforehand or had it been simple coincidence? At any rate, Naruto's technique would suck the Yomi Numa dry of the Chakra used to sustain it. It was an incredibly tactical move. He couldn't rule out the possibility that Naruto had prepared it purposefully due to its characteristics. His features hardened. It reminded him that he couldn't spare any leniency here. He had to be taught that going easy on an opponent, failing to read an opponent, was a terrible mistake to make for someone being chased by the Akatsuki. Sealing quickly, he placed his hand on the ground to summon the toad-boss.

Naruto paused as a huge column of smoke raised into the air, clearing to reveal the Toad-boss, Gamabunta.

"Ohhhhhh, _crap_!"

"JIRAIYA! WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?"

Naruto hurriedly hopped backwards as Jiraiya's form alighted on the mountain-sized amphibian.

"Yo Bunta! Naruto and I are training. I'm teaching him the lesson of never letting your guard down in a fight. Can you help?"

Gamabunta grumbled something about 'waste of time' and 'calling me out for insignificant things'. Naruto jumped to the limb of a tree at the far end of the field. He had to think of something fast and he wasn't sure if the toad-boss would allow him to throw his biggest Jutsu at him.

"YO GAKI! YOU'D BETTER GET READY, BECAUSE I WANNA BE HOME FOR DINNER!"

Naruto gulped. Was he pulling out his tanto?! Damn, crap, hell. This wasn't happening to him!!!

Speeding forward, he sent a raging fireball at the humongous amphibian and ducked within its shadow to grant him some cover. His plan backfired when the monstrosity waved a single webbed foot, blowing him and his inconsequential inferno half a kilometre away. Naruto skidded to a halt, driving a wedge into the soft mud of the field.

His eyes flashed. If that's how it's going to be, he'd pull out the stops too. His mind flashed back to what he had been taught about fighting summons, the lesson drilled into his head by Kakashi.

"_It's an ANBU regulation technique split into three separate techniques. Summons are dangerous because they're big, fast and throw a heavy punch when they want to."_

_The one-eyed Jounin snapped his novel shut and turned to regard Naruto critically._

"_Usually it's pulled off in teams; not many individuals would be crazy enough to get into a fight with something that big on their own. But I guess you don't have that luxury..."_

_Naruto shifted slightly as he sat cross-legged in front of him._

"_So what do you do? Like...blow him up big time?"_

_Kakashi snorted. Trust Naruto to only think of bigger explosions if the enemy was larger. He stared at him continuously._

"_Would you quit staring at me? I'll nail you with some Omni-Paint if you don't!"_

_Kakashi smiled beneath his mask._

"_Maa, maa, don't be so impatient! Here's what you have to do..."_

Naruto grinned; it was a three part Jutsu. 'Bunta wouldn't know what hit him.

'_Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!'_

Step 1: Immobilisation!

Naruto sprinted from his location, a slicing sickle of wind almost a mile wide cutting through the air with reckless abandon. Jiraiya screamed in shock.

"BUNTA! JUMP!"

He was too late. The Wind Jutsu tore into the massive toad, slicing a deep trench into his skin. Gamabunta roared in agony. The tanto held in his webbed grip slipped through his fingers, slamming into the ground after falling almost a hundred feet. The gust of wind generated was incredible! His clothes flapped around him chaotically, his hair plastered flat to his head by the ferocious torrent as it battered his body. The ground rumbled from the immense weight impacting with its surface, buckling and crumbling as if in the midst of a particularly vicious earthquake. Naruto was forced to duck low and push Chakra to his feet to stick himself in place and avoid being blown away. His teeth clenched, his eyes forced as narrow as possible to avoid the grit streaming around his form from entering them, he began the next series of handseals.

Step 2: Stun the target!

'_Raiton: Shichuu Shibari.'_

Naruto ducked under a chunk of rubble that hurtled his way after the four giant earthen pillars rose up forming a square around the boss summon. The Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was pelted with stones and dirt but he continued onwards, zipping through the smoke and mud as it surrounded him. Gamabunta's screams tore through the air as the second stage of the Jutsu, a giant current of electricity, ripped through his body. His skin began to sizzle and steam as the pores opened from the frightening current.

"BUNTA! GET OUT OF HERE! HE'S HAD YOU! KAI!"

Naruto's smirk faded as the huge toad departed from their dimension in another cloud of smoke.

'_Oh hell...Jiraiya's gonna be totally stressed out about that..."_

And he was correct. He hated it when he was right. In a show of startling speed, Jiraiya crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Naruto ducked the haymaker, blocked the follow-up, but was too slow to avoid the roundhouse that crashed into his chest. The dizziness returned full-force as he was sent parallel to the ground once again. Before he could even react, a pink, fleshy dome rose on either side of him and closed over his head. As soon as he landed, the floor began pulling him in. His neck strained to twist his head and look up as he heard a whisper above him.

"Rasengan."

Naruto winced and closed his eyes. He'd been beaten again, fair and square. He'd even used ANBU-level techniques and yet it just wasn't enough in the face of the legendary Sannin. Was the gap that large? What if he had to face an opponent stronger than him?

"You didn't use your swords...why?"

Naruto cracked his eyes open to find Jiraiya's emotionless face peering down at him from above.

"You used a freakin' summon! What the hell was I supposed to do with a sword against _that?!_"

Jiraiya studied him hard.

"You have many other Jutsu, Naruto. You've learnt far more than just that. Are you beginning to forget some of the techniques you've learned in the past?"

Naruto growled in anger.

"It wouldn't have done any good! What did you expect?! Kawarimi?! Bunshin?! None of them would've done anything!"

Jiraiya raised his hand and Naruto screwed his eyes shut again. His punishment: the Rasengan. It would hurt like hell. His head was thrown to the side as a fist, not a glowing blue ball of doom, impacted with his jaw. He spat out a glob of blood and turned wide eyes to his godfather.

"Think Naruto. You can use the Kawarimi without seals. Why is that useful? You have a great grasp of the Wind Element; how could you have used it in that situation? You can use the Invisibilty Jutsu, the Chakra Beacon and the different iterations you've come up with. You have the Rasengan, the Mud Clone and the Kazeken. Then you have all the Ninjutsu that Kakashi, Shisui and Anko have taught you over the years. You have the tools. You just need to use 'em."

Jiraiya straightened, disengaging his techniques. The Gamaguchi Shibari retreated from around him, making a wet sucking noise that made Naruto sick to the stomach as it spat him out onto the pockmarked mud below. He stood up shakily; that fight had been massive, unlike anything he'd done before. The scale of destruction was awe-inducing: the ground looked as if several bombs had exploded all around the area. There was a deep trench carved into the mud almost a metre wide where Gamabunta's tanto had pierced it.

"It's obvious that the clones you know so far aren't suitable for you. You can use the Mud Clone well enough and we know what happens when you try the most basic Bunshin-"

"HEY! No fair! It ain't my fault that I can't do it!"

Jiraiya chuckled lightly.

"I know Gaki! Don't worry. What I'm saying is that I'm going to teach you a Jutsu that is better than them and would be more suitable for someone with as much Chakra as you do."

As the Sun began to fall from its Zenith, Jiraiya took the blond through the Kage Bunshin and its uses. When he'd finished, he demonstrated the seal combination and the amount of Chakra that the technique required and then left the Konoha Civilian to his own devices. He walked over to one of the trees left standing after their...eventful battle.

"How much of that did you teach him?"

Tsunade was perched in the tree, one hand resting on the bark and the other clenched at her side. Her eyes were slightly sunken and bloodshot; from crying or less sleep, Jiraiya was unable to discern.

"Not much. Most of the stuff he uses has been self-taught or the crew back home showed him."

"And this Uchiha Shisui was one of them?"

Jiraiya nodded, turning to stare at Naruto who on his first attempt, managed to blow himself into the air by focusing too much Chakra into the technique. He snorted softly.

"They're like a little family you know? Maybe like how you're folks were before they died. Doesn't he remind you of Nawaki?"

Tsunade remained silent as she watched the boy's second attempt, this time causing a cloud of smoke to erupt in front of him and nothing else.

"What are you still doing here? He's said his piece. Don't you have to get back to Konoha?"

The Gama-Sennin turned a searching gaze to her, eyes connecting immediately. They faced each other for a while before he returned to watching his sometimes-student.

"Well damn! He's actually done it already!"

Tsunade gasped as she took in the sea of Kage Bunshin stretching out before her. She counted maybe a hundred, maybe more, but for a third try...

"W-What is he?"

Jiraiya's grin threatened to break his face.

"Uzumaki Naruto, that's who."

Tsunade stared off into the field as the young teenager celebrated by rushing the clones and proceeding to beat as many as he could silly. Jiraiya laughed by her side at his antics as the rest of the doppelgangers responded in kind and decided to swamp the thirteen year old with their numbers. There was a sharp crack and a large bunch of the clones disappeared at the same time.

The Kazeken, he'd need to find some way to reduce the backlash from using the devastating Taijutsu style.

He was slightly startled when Tsunade suddenly pushed off from the tree and landed close to Naruto. She began walking in his direction slowly and with purpose. Jiraiya frowned. What was she up to?

Naruto panted as he gazed up at the blonde medic from his seated position in the field. Sweat ran down his brow as he held his fist in a tight grip, the pain still searing through his knuckles. He squinted in the sunlight, the rays causing a halo to glow around the woman's head.

"Hey kid! You might want to layer your fist with Chakra when you use that. It'll be hard to concentrate on two places at once but it's the best thing to try with the punch you have."

Naruto glanced down at his clasped fist before looking back up at the legendary Kunoichi.

"What about your technique? Wouldn't that work?"

Tsunade snorted.

"Yeah, it would...if you had seven years to get your control up to medical standards and then you'd need the precision and presence of mind to pull it off."

She turned and began walking back towards Jiraiya, her shoulders hunched against the slight breeze that sprang up. It was getting late and she should be heading back soon. She stopped as she passed her old teammate, their eyes facing away from each other, shoulder-to-shoulder.

"I'll come back. Don't get me wrong. I'll heal his friend and then I'll leave again. We'll leave tomorrow."

Jiraiya felt her move away and in that moment, in that small window of time after she'd said that, his grin widened even more if it was possible. He was smiling so much and it hurt, it actually hurt the corners of his mouth, but he didn't care.

Naruto had done it, against all odds. Just another of his victories to add to the growing pile. His smile fell and his head whipped around as a loud shout reached his ears.

"OY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY GARDEN?! YOU'VE DESTROYED EVERYTHING!"

Jiraiya balked.

"Uh-oh! NARUTO! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

And with that, they followed after the blonde medic as fast as they could.

XXXXXXXXX

You don't mess with Sabaku no Gaara. That was the thought that ran through the heads of his siblings as the stupid Oto-nin named Dosu challenged him to a fight. Here they were enjoying the cool night air on the top of their hotel and the idiot had to ruin it with his barbaric ways. Of course, Gaara wouldn't stand for it.

In a rush of speed, the Sound Genin attacked, swiping at Gaara's head as fast as he could. Suna's Jinchuuriki dodged the attack by leaning to the side and stopped to stare at his opponent when he froze in mid-punch. They stayed like that for a few moments before Gaara became tired and threw a sand-spear at the bandaged face of the boy. Dosu leapt backwards and stared wide-eyed at his opponent.

"How are you still standing?"

Gaara tilted his head to the side.

"That is what people do, is it not?"

Dosu snarled in rage.

"That's not what I meant! You should be really dizzy after I did that to your ears!"

Gaara continued to stare unnervingly at the hunchbacked male.

"What did you do to my ears?"

"Can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

Dosu shouted in anger.

"ARE YOU A ROBOT OR SOMETHING?!"

Temari pushed a fist into her mouth to prevent herself from laughing too loudly. Actually, that wasn't the best of ideas since she was likely to choke on it when her giggling got the better of her. At least it was better than Kankurou though; her younger brother had tears streaming down his face and mixing with his make-u- errr...face paint.

"No. I'm human."

Dosu pushed his right sleeve up, exposing a strange metallic object strapped to much of his forearm. Temari groaned. The boy had a death wish. He just intentionally showed her youngest brother a contraption with A LOT of holes drilled into its surface.

"The holes in my arm make a sound that, when you hear it, makes you very dizzy and pops your ear drums. The frequency is too great for the human ear to withstand."

Gaara smiled.

"Sounds cannot reach my ears. I cover them up with sand."

The Oto-nin gaped in shock.

"I see you have many holes in your arm. Holes should not be left empty."

Dosu began hyperventilating as he finally remembered the match between the youngest Suna Genin and his teammate. How stupid was he?!

"Allow me to fill them for you."

What followed was a series of loud screams, one even louder scream and a 'GURK!' that had an odd finality to it. Temari palmed her face.

What a stupid reason to die.

ZZZZZZZ

Aaaand CUT! OK, first off, apologies are in order. This should have been out a week ago but the council scene was so hard to write that I was stuck on it for a very long time. That said, I _did_ finish it and that makes me really happy!

Chapter Notes:

Kazekiri - Wind Cutter

Character Use: Unnamed ANBU  
Rank: Unknown  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack

Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. A large slicing wind will then be created which can cut through his opponent. This can be used to immobilize large summons. This will be the initial attack in an elemental trio used by the ANBU. It will be followed by Raiton: Shichuu Shibari to stun and trap the target and finally Doton: Otoshi Buta to imprison the summon in a gigantic sealed pot.

Shichuu Shibari - Four Pillar Binding

Character Use: Unnamed ANBU  
Rank: Unknown  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack, Supplementary

Raiton: Shichuu Shibari is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Lightning Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. Four large earthen pillars will rise to surround the target summon. Lightning will then be unleashed to stun the target. It is the second technique in the summon destroying trio.

Endan - Fireball

Character Use: Jiraiya  
Rank: C  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
Type: Attack

Katon: Endan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. This jutsu allows Jiraiya to emit a jet of fire from his mouth. While not stated, this is probably the same or a similar jutsu to the one Jiraiya uses in conjunction with Gamebunta to do Gamayu Endan.

Yomi Numa - Swamp of the Underworld

Character Use: Jiraiya  
Rank: A  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack

Doton: Yomi Numa is a Ninjutsu technique used by the Sannin Jiraiya utilizing the Earth element. After forming the needed handseals, a vast swamp can appear beneath his target to sink and kill it.

Doton Kekkai: Dorou Doumu - Earth Barrier: Earth Dome Prison

Character Use: Jiroubou  
Rank: B  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
Type: Attack, Supplementary

Doton Kekkai: Dorou Doumu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with his hands, Jiroubou is able to overturn the earth and cause it to rise up around his opponents. Placing his hands against the dome he is able to suck out the chakra from the people trapped inside and bring it into his own body. At the same time Jiroubou will use his own chakra to spread throughout the dome, this allows him to repair any damage his opponents manage to inflict on the inside. The chakra is not evenly spread out though, as the chakra flows away from Jiroubou, it becomes more and more weak. Allowing the dome to be broken on the far side if hit by a hard enough force.

Gamaguchi Shibari - Toad Mouth Binding

Character Use: Jiraiya  
Rank: A  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack

Gamaguchi Shibari is a Ninjutsu technique that transforms the surrounding area into the oesophagus of a toad summoned from Myouki Mt. Rock Inn. By forming the needed handseals and then touching the ground, Jiraiya transforms the surroundings into a soft malleable organ which he can manipulate at will. This ability to manipulate allows him to bind and hold the opponents he faces.

Souzou Saisei - Creation Rebirth

Character Use: Tsunade  
Rank: S  
Range: -  
Type: Supplementary

Souzou Saisei is a Ninjutsu technique developed by the Sannin Tsunade. It is said this technique will prevent Tsunade's falling in battle. Over time Tsunade will concentrate chakra to a spot on her forehead that takes the form of a diamond. When she releases the seal on the Jutsu, the chakra disperses and stimulates the proteins of her body to increase the speed of cell division and reconstruction of cells. This allows her to recreate all organs and tissues. The technique itself does not regenerate the old cells; rather it hastens the creation of new ones through division. Unfortunately a body's cells can only split a certain number of times in a lifetime. By speeding up this process Tsunade is shortening her life. She may not die in battle, but she can die by speeding up its natural lifespan.

Another potential side effect of this technique is her body losing its youthful form. After using this Jutsu in battle, the effects will show as her body regains its natural older form. It is only after rest that she can cause her body to regain its false youth.

And that's it for now! I was going to add in an Omake but then I thought I'd already spent so long on it and you guys deserved it, so I didn't include it here. Maybe next chapter?

Ja ne!

~B


	44. Chapter 44

Welcome to Chapter 44 of K:NP! Well, this took a bit too long though there were a variety of reasons why. If anyone cares, it's posted on the forum so just check that out and you'll know!

Review Highlights...where to start? I guess I'd like to welcome two of my most illustrious reviewers back to the scene. After a load of chapters lacking their flair and style, BrokenBloodDrops and luvindigo empress sprang up out of nowhere. So a big 'Welcome Back!' to you two!

On the other front, I was totally surprised and _chuffed_ might I add, to receive a review from weixuan18. For the readers who don't know, he's the prolific author of the 'I Will...' series of stories. Do check them out when you have the time.

As for the rest of the reviews, a big thank you to ching965 for an absolutely phenomenal review that raised my spirits, lambtastic for a hilarious thesis on the word 'Shishi' (my ribs are still hurting from that!) and knuckz for pointing out a gross mistake in the chapter (which I fixed before most of you read it!).

This instalment's Fanfic Highlight goes to Renatus' 'Namikaze Brothers'. Personally, I feel that recently most of the new stories that have been started have been either very poor language-wise or just lacking that spice to draw a reader in. Renatus blows that away. Totally. If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend this one and be sure to leave a review if you do; NB is lacking reviews it surely deserves.

But enough of that! I want to test something and I do hope everyone will help me out! I'm not sure if my inbox problem is fixed yet and so if you reviewed but didn't get a reply last chapter then I apologise in advance. However, could everyone who enjoys this chapter (and I mean every single one of you!) please leave a review? I just want to see how accurate the reader count is on the profile page!

**WARNING! THIS CHAPTER IS A BIT GRAPHIC SO IF YOU CAN'T STOMACH A BIT OF 'HEAVY' DESCRIPTION, PLEASE SKIP THE KAKASHI SCENE!**

ZZZZZZZZ

A green suitcase snapped shut abruptly as Tsunade of the Sannin placed the final article of clothing atop the messily constructed pile of garments that were _meant_ to be folded.

Who cares what Shizune thought anyway?

Snorting in disgust, she pulled the plastic travel accessory from the surface of her bed, one corner snagging the quilt beneath it and tearing the linen in half. Cursing, she hurriedly turned the duvet over to hide the damage and then proceeded to make the last minute adjustments to the hotel room before her and her companions were to depart this morning.

She couldn't believe what she had agreed to; go back to Konoha?! Was she out of her _mind?!_

No doubt, Sarutobi and the old codgers that made up the so called 'Council of Fire' would attempt to tie her down before she had the time to vacate the area once again. She sighed in frustration; if only the stupid blond brat hadn't been so much like her brother and fiancé, she could have simply turned him away and be done with the whole affair...

Her chocolate gaze turned to the window lazily, watching a stray swallow flap its way through an incredibly blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, the sun astonishingly bright casting a warm glow that wasn't too hot, through the single pane of glass in the wall. She sighed melancholically; how was it possible that after so many years, her past chased her with vengeance? Hadn't she had enough? Hadn't she paid her price? What more did they want from her?

She spent the better years of her youth serving her Village irreplaceably. She'd become the greatest medic in the entire world, one of Konoha's lauded Densetsu no Sannin. And yet, her family had been taken from her, her wealth stolen and her honour trampled and left to rot like some stray vegetable lying on a gutter at the edge of a road. She felt the dry embers within her gut stirring; she squashed it as quickly as she could. If she allowed it to fester, her anger would return full force and she'd take it out on the innocent individuals around her.

Sometimes she wondered why Shizune remained by her side even though she'd formally discharged her from her apprenticeship years ago. There was nothing more she could teach her and yet she still chose to waste her youth by her side. Was it pity? She snorted.

Turning back to the door, she took one last glance of the room before clasing a firm grip around the suitcase's handle and dragging it into the hallway. She shut the door with the toes of her foot and sighed, her shoulders slumping.

She must be _mad_ to return to that place.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!"

Shizune hurried up the stairs, her pace frantic and her eyes flashing dangerously as they locked onto her former teacher's chocolate-brown gaze.

"What Shizune?"

Shizune stamped a foot on the floor.

"Don't give me that Tsunade-Sama! Jiraiya-Sama just told me what you told Naruto-kun yesterday. You know as well as I do that it's impossible to mould two types of Chakra at once! The backlash would be too much for his body to handle!"

Shizune glared at her mentor heatedly. Tsunade held her gaze firmly for a moment before huffing and pushing past her, her suitcase in tow.

"Don't just ignore me Tsunade-Sama!"

Her luggage fell to the floor with a thump as she whirled on her ex-apprentice.

"Do you even understand what that brat had been doing all this time?!" She snapped.

Shizune froze, her mouth parted slightly at the sudden outburst.

"He's been wrecking his fist every chance he got! That punch is almost as strong as mine and do you know why it hurts so much?"

The legendary Iryou-nin's stare drilled furiously into the younger woman.

"It's because there's so much damn force behind it and he hasn't got a single layer of protection over the bone-structure of his knuckles!"

"But...but-"

"Shizune!"

"H-Hai!"

"Tell me, what happens in a 'green fracture'?"

Shizune frowned slightly.

"The bone bends before it breaks."

Tsunade nodded as she bent to pick up the handle again.

"Exactly. And why is that more dangerous in some cases than a clean break?"

The petite, black-haired woman paused as she realised where their conversation was going.

"Because...because if the bone breaks when it's bent, there's a lower possibilty of recovery?"

Tsunade nodded.

"Naruto's been punching like that for a while now with nothing but Chakra to bolster his muscles. If he continues to do so, he'll risk damaging the bone irreperably. Better to have him rip the musclature and Chakra network with a better chance of recovery than do some lasting damage to his body! Do you understand now?!"

Shizune chewed on the bottom of her lip in anxiety. Sure, that was one way of putting it, but the fact was that it was a highly dangerous alternative. Why not just scrap using the Kazeken altogether?

"B-But Tsunade-Sama! That still doesn't change the fact that it's impossible to use two types of Chakra at the same time. It's taboo! He won't be able to accelerate his arm with Fuuton Chakra at the same time as protecting his fist with pure Chakra!"

Tsunade grunted softly as she moved towards the starway at the end of the hall. Just before she hit the first step she tossed a glance back over her shoulder.

"Maybe. But if there's one person who could probably pull it off, it's Naruto, the kid who pulled off the Kage Bunshin in three tries."

And with that, she plodded down the stairs, her suitcase's wheels bouncing on the lino after every step.

XXXXXXXXX

Hatake Kakashi slipped into his Spartan apartment like a wraith. He shut the front door soundlessly behind him, the shadows lengthening as the evening twilight decreased for the onset of night. He sighed wearily.

He had never regretted passing a team more than he did now. Team 7 were a liability, a strategic illegality from a military perspective. Two were strong individually, one a total ditz and as a team?

As a team, they were a complete failure. His hands-off approach wasn't working. Sai was too much of a loose-cannon, Sasuke an introvert and Sakura....

There weren't many words to describe how bad she was at the practical aspect of the Shinobi arts. He padded down the hallway, shrugging out of his Jounin vest and tossing it into a corner distractedly. He pulled his long-sleeved top over his head and threw it atop his bead as he passed through the doorway to his room leaving him in a tight-fitting sleeveless vest. He sat down heavily onto his bed, the mattress groaning in protest at the sudden shift of weight.

What the hell was he doing?

Sasuke was a good guy, not nearly as moody as he would've expected given the circumstances of his childhood. He was slightly outgoing, friendly and overall as normal as a Genin his age could be. He was intelligent and sharp, his physical state was top-notch and he'd graduated top of his class in the Academy. Kakashi could see the resemblance he had in Obito, albeit an Obito who had already obtained the lauded Clan's Kekkei Genkai and without the failures that his erstwhile relative had seemed to garner.

Kakashi knew why; it was because of Shisui. There was no other explanation. Whilst his mother was likely to have helped, Shisui was a much larger presence in the youngest Uchiha's life, guiding him, helping him. Shisui had most likely taken up the mantle that Itachi had forsaken when he'd turned his back on the Village after the Uchiha Massacre.

But now Shisui was injured almost irreparably. Kakashi wasn't stupid; even if his laid back friend was to awaken from his coma, he'd be paralysed for the rest of his life.

A Shinobi-ending injury that couldn't be healed, not even by Tsunade of the Sannin. He stood from his bed, the squeak of the springs not even penetrating the dull haze of emotions swirling behind his eyes. He stepped lightly in front of a small chest of drawers, the once Beech surface worn and weathered by time. He stooped to wrench the rickety top draw open, sticking his arm in and rummaging around for a spare pen. Sarutobi would expect his mission report in the morning and it wasn't as if he'd get any sleep. There was no way in hell he'd close his eyes right now, not with the horrors of his past haunting his mind.

His hand brushed a soft and smooth cloth pushed to the back of the drawer. He frowned. What was that?

Pushing aside the jumble of attire, he uncovered a patch of rippling-white silk. His eyes widened as a memory hit him as suddenly as a speeding train.

_He stood glaring down at the Iwa-nin facing him, the man's afro burnt and singed, his clothes ripped like a traveller emerging from a particularly vicious storm. The man grinned, a twisted smile of arrogance._

"_Still alive? You're a stubborn one..."_

_He was calm; the rage of losing his best friend, his friend that had only just wormed his way into a heart filled with disgust at the world, the world that took his father from him in a tornado of injustice._

_And he had been there when Hatake Sakumo had taken his own life._

_The White Fang._

_He felt the pulse, the energy, the __**power**__ residing on his back and it was then that he realised his folly. It was a blade worthy of being wielded. It was a blade he'd shunned out of his inability to accept his father for the true hero he had been. And most of all...._

_It was his blade._

"_...But in the end, you're still just a kid."_

_The man shook his head, brown curls of hair tumbling around his head in his annoyance._

"_Why is a Shinobi crying?"_

_Why?_

_Why?_

_Why was Obito dying in the cave behind him? Why was his right eye blind? Why..._

_Why had he been so __**stupid**__?!_

"_Come on, Cry-baby! It's time to end this!"_

_Kakashi's left eye snapped open, his friend's final gift spinning chaotically as his tears slipped down his cheek. Smoke curled around his body, the slight breeze ruffling his hair. The Iwa-nin's eyes widened in shock at the piercing red that shone from his left eye._

"_Kakashi...protect Rin..."_

_His tears fell. Obito's final words to him._

"_Yeah," he replied softly. He reached behind his back, grasping the hilt of the tanto he'd long neglected. He jumped, springing as deftly as a falcon, his body curling into a light ball and then unravelling, the White Fang held tight in his fist._

_And he made another mistake. In his solemnity, in his depression, he forgot to channel Chakra into the blade._

_It shattered, the pieces raining down around the two opponents as the Iwa-nin swung his dual arm blades in a pincer attack._

Kakashi stared at the bundle. How had he forgotten it? He ripped the garments atop the legendary blade aside, feverishly scattering them onto the floor as he allowed the White Fang to once again breathe in the air. He reverently cradled the tanto, lifting it slowly from the drawer and placing it carefully on his bed. Gripping the edges of the silk, he began to unroll the soft bundle, wincing every timethe metal clinked.

His Sensei had collected the shards when he'd been unconscious. A sword, he'd said, was the soul of a warrior, a soul so great that it could manifest itself in a corporeal form. It was the weapon of the spirit, the edge and bastion of a heart's verve. The dying light glinted off the edges, playing along the smooth metal that had once been whole.

His hair stood on end as the nostalgic steel seemed to glow in his eyes. He couldn't leave it like this; a testament to the beginning of his legend.

"_The Shinobi Code has always said that whoever abandons his mission is trash..."_

_Black wavy hair, ridiculous goggles and a personality that was fraught with insecurity._

"_...But you know what? Those who abandon their friends, they're worse than trash!"_

A feeling of such unease blossomed in his stomach. The emotion came on so quickly that Kakashi visibly startled. Something was wrong.

Something was horribly wrong.

He'd trusted his instincts in the years after Obito's death, his name rising in Konoha's greats. He'd become famous in his own right, his prowess feared all over the Elemental Nations. He was hardly ever wrong when his stomach turned over and he began to feel queasy. He was instantly alert, his eyes scanning his bedroom like a hawk after its prey. His gaze danced over a small wooden desk on the wall opposite him, then to the door he'd entered from moments before. Finally it rested on the single window set into the wall behind him. He idly noticed that there was a new moon that night, instead focusing more on the shadows where enemies were likely to be hidden. He stood abruptly, uncovering the Sharingan in his left eye and striding to the pane of glass that seemed to almost flow in the waning twilight. He pushed it open, gazing out quickly into the darkness, his mind working a mile-a-minute as he calculated and chronicled every angle and possible direction an attack could come from.

The prickling sensation wouldn't leave him, even when he was sure that there was no danger present. It was at that moment that another memory hit him, from where and the reason why, he had no idea, but he would be glad that it did before the night was old.

"_And let me remind you, Hebi-chan. You dare touch Shisui and we're gonna kill you."_

Why had Naruto said that? What did Orochimaru have to do with him?

"_What do you want?"_

"_Why those eyes of course!"_

He was after the Sharingan. Shisui had the Sharingan. Was it possible that Orochimaru was the reason for Itachi coming after him? Didn't Jiraiya-Sama say that the Snake had once been a part of Akatsuki as Itachi is? Could it be that the entire ordeal with Sasuke was a front to drive their attention away from the other Uchiha so that Orochimaru could indeed get his hands on the Uchiha bloodline limit?

His mind whirled in his thoughts. The plan was diabolical yet logical, almost something ridiculous enough to be synonymous of the feared Nuke-nin. Kakashi leapt from his window.

There was no way he was leaving Shisui alone for now, not in the state he was in.

His eyes hardened as his instincts took over, the gentle motion of hopping from roof to roof lulling his mind into a semi-aware state. It was a frame of mind he had perfected in his ANBU days, filtering out everything apart from his sense of direction and situational awareness. After a few minutes, he landed barefoot on the side of the third floor corridor leading to Ward 18 of Konoha Central Hospital. Reaching for the latch, he covered his arm in Chakra and forced it through the smooth pane of glass; his fingertips delving into the transparent surface with nary a ripple. He pulled on the latch and swung the window open, slipping inside and landing on his feet with almost feline grace.

Standing quickly, he softly replaced the window and strode towards the foyer of the 'Long-term Injuries' section. He hated this place, hated it with a passion. How many of his friends and companions had he seen confined to these cursed halls only to expire almost as quickly as they'd arrived?

Ignoring the feeling of Bile extending from his chest, he entered the brightly lit waiting area and glanced around quickly.

"'Kashi! What you doin' here?"

Kakashi's eyes snapped to the left, taking in the sight of Anko sitting with the nurse responsible for Shisui during his comatose stay in the ward. It was then that his suspicions were confirmed.

Anko's eyes widened as, in a burst of monstrous speed, Kakashi slammed a Kunai into the nurse sitting beside her. She was even more surprised when the hospital employee disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"W-What's goin' o-"

"Anko! Get to Shisui's room! He's been compromised!"

They dashed off immediately, side-by-side in their anxiety. An infernal rage burst into Kakashi's chest, his heart racing as he prayed for his friend's safety. They reached his room within seconds, Anko paused outside.

"Stay here. I'll check inside. Don't let anyone come in."

Anko nodded sharply and the son of the White Fang noticed unshed tears glistening in her eyes. His eyes hardened; she'd abandoned Naruto, he couldn't forget that.

He reached for the handle, turning it only to find it locked. Thinking quickly, he backed up, bracing his shoulder with Chakra before slamming his entire weight into the wooden door. It didn't budge an inch.

'_Damn. That has to be some kind of Jutsu stopping the door from opening.'_

He ran through the three handseals for the Chidori. He couldn't waste time here; Shisui's life was in danger. His right hand crackled to life as lightning erupted in the palm of his hand. He strode forwards and crashed through the door, his Jutsu sending a spray of wood into the room and causing the glow from his fist to dance off the walls of the shadowed ward.

The expansive room was empty save for five bodies lying prone upon the swept white floor. The window set into the end of the room was upon, the net-curtain billowing slightly in the night air. Kakashi kept his Chidori lit as he cautiously creeped into the ward, keeping to the shadows as much as possible even though anyone alive had probably heard him with his entrance. He reached one of the bodies and stared down at it; it was the very same nurse that had been impersonated in the foyer. He crouched over her and laid two fingers to her neck.

She was dead.

Kakashi sighed. He gently reached up to close her eyes before standing again and moving more quickly towards Shisui's curtained bed. He vehemently pulled the drawn material aside and slumped in relief when he saw his friend's catatonic form asleep and breathing.

And then he was trapped.

He span around, Chidori blazing as the other four bodies stood, like some form of inhuman wraiths, from their downed positions. The shifting luminescence from his Jutsu cast an electric blue glow flitting over their faces, catching the grooves in the four Hitai-ate upon their heads.

Oto-nin.

Their complexions had darkened, spiralling patterns of black spreading across their skin from the originating point on their necks. The moonlight glittered along every metal holding in the room, reflecting from their eyes eerily.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sharingan no Kakashi! No wonder we were found so quickly."

Kakashi didn't take his eyes from the four in front of him, the one who had spoken, a lanky, pale skinned male with green eye shadow grinning sardonically at him. Kakashi stood his ground, Chidori crackling in his fist.

"Think we can take him?"

The silver-haired Jounin's gaze flickered to the six-armed boy who had spoken. He, too, was leering at him. Kakashi snorted softly; four-on-one. For Chuunin, the battle wouldn't last long. He couldn't underestimate them though; they were obviously Orochimaru's lackeys. Time to distract with some of Naruto's trademark idiosyncracies.

"So what are you four animals doing up at this time of night? And why the hell are _you _covered in omni-paint?!"

The only female of the group, a redhead who was hard to make out since she was heavily coated in every colour of the rainbow, snarled angrily.

"Shut up, Tree-Hugger! I'll kill you!"

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow.

"Ooooh, touchy! Sorry, didn't know you were into makeup so diligently!"

The girl took a threatening step forward but the last member of the team stuck his hand out to stop her.

"Tayuya, that's enough. You can take your anger out on Uzumaki when you see him. You need to keep a level head against Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi gritted his teeth. Just his luck for them to have a voice of reason within their ranks. Weren't criminals all supposed to mentally unstable? Then again, that would mean he was a criminal too...

Tayuya batted the hand away but made no further advance against the Konoha Jounin. She settled for a string of curses instead.

"This would've been over a lot faster if Kimimaro hadn't been given another job."

The six-armed male turned abruptly to the first speaker and that was when Kakashi got his chance.

"Shut it Sakon! We need to finish up here and get the-"

With a roar, a Kage Bunshin thundered into the spider-like boy, grabbing his throat and dragging him bodily to the window. The real Kakashi grabbed hold of the curtain rail besides an empty bed, curtain and all, and threw it over the remaining trio. They collapsed under the weight of the heavy material, fighting with each other and struggling to throw it off. Kakashi idly noticed Anko burst into the Ward, Kunai drawn in both hands.

He wasted no time. Leaping forward into a crouching dash, he slammed the Chidori home into the nearest struggling form. There was a muffled scream and the body fell still. Kakashi ripped his hand free and prepared to pierce one of the other two went he heard a small sound behind him. He whirled around.

Yakushi Kabuto, a Genin who had forfeited before the Preliminaries in the Chuunin Exam, stood with a scalpel at Shisui's neck. Kakashi's eyes widened and he barely prevented himself from throwing his body at the boy. Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose with his left hand, the barely adequate moonlight shining off the smooth surface ominously. The corners of his mouth were twitched upwards slightly and it was that expression, that demonic smile that caused him to snap.

It was a fatal mistake.

Kabuto immediately severed Shisui's jugular vein, the arterial spray leaping from his throat and painting the bleached walls white. Kakashi's eyes widened to impossible proportions; he felt the sting of tears and the constriction of his throat as he struggled to rein in the last vestiges of his sanity. Anko cried out as she raced to save their friend but the Silver-haired nin didn't hear her.

He couldn't hear anything, only the rush of his thumping blood in his ears, a sickly scream ringing in his mind. Maybe it was his, maybe the one screaming was Anko, maybe it was Shisui even in his final breath of life, yet Kakashi only knew one thing.

Yakushi Kabuto would pay.

Abandoning all pretences, he summoned every bit of Chakra at his disposal, the blue energy erupting from his body in a vortex of power. It was such an incredible amount that beds were thrown aside, curtains were ripped from their holdings and the ones that remained fixed billowed as if in the midst of a vicious breeze. The Sharingan in his left eye spun so fast that anyone who looked at it would become dizzy almost immediately. Anko had stopped in her tracks a mere couple of meters from the Genin, a hand to her mouth in shock. Kabuto himself couldn't stop the gasp that slipped past his mouth.

But Kakashi was beyond caring.

His form flickered, a noiseless, smokeless Kawarimi with the adjacent bed causing him to appear right next to the unfortunate boy, his fist already flying for his face. Kabuto attempted to move out of the way, but the attack was totally unexpected; he had thought he was on Kakashi's level, but the power shown by the Copy-nin was more like his master's. The punch connected solidly with his right temple, the blow so hard that there was an audible crack. Kabuto met unconsciousness immediately as his body was smashed into the wall. Kakashi didn't stop, his fists flying as he pummelled the silver-haired boy mercilessly. He punched and punched, his fists coated in blood, from the wounds on his knuckles or from the male below him he had no idea. He screamed and shouted till his voice became hoarse, and yet he still threw his fists forward as hard as he could. He didn't feel Kabuto cranium give way, neither could he feel fragments of bone striking his face as he continued to pound him to a pulp. Tears streamed down his face, dripping from his chin and mixing with the growing puddle of blood, bone and white matter at his feet. Someone grabbed his wrists, pulling him away, stopping him from utterly destroying the one who'd taken his best friend from him, his Sensei, his team mate.

"Ka-Kakashi, th-that's enough!"

He struggled, ignoring Anko's sobs. All he wanted to do was remove any trace of his suffering, pulverise it, turn it into dust so that the wind of time could blow it away like everything else in his life.

"KAKASHI STOP IT!"

She was openly crying now, clutching his gut in a vice hold to stop him from killing himself. He leaned forward and began to slam his head into the downed and bloodied body, it was the only thing he could do. The lights snapped on and the sound of running feet drifted through his senses idly. He didn't care, Kabuto would die. He was pulled aside roughly and thrown into a corner. He saw a flash of white, a mask that reminded him of ANBU and then he saw black.

XXXXXXXXX

"So how come you don't want to become Hokage?"

Naruto stared at Tsunade with a funny look.

"Hokage? Me?! Baa-chan, are you crazy or somethin'? Maybe your age is gettin' to ya'!"

He had to duck to avoid the swipe aimed at his head and chuckled at the expression on the older woman's face.

"I don't wanna protect this Village. They're not worth it."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that comment; it had been clipped, as if it wasn't something he wanted to discuss. She mentally shrugged; that was fine with her. Naruto, Shizune and she were sitting at a small Ramen Stand going by the name of Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha. They'd drifted through the gates not longer than an hour before and Jiraiya had immediately wandered off somewhere. She hadn't stopped him, knowing better than anyone how eccentric he was. Naruto suggested food and Tsunade wasn't against it; it wasn't like she had anything better to do just yet although she had promised to check up on this Uchiha Shisui as soon as they'd finish.

"Oh? And why aren't they worth it? The Village is bad, I know that just as well as anyone, but there are quite a few decent people too."

Naruto didn't answer for a while and Tsunade saw the female chef give his bowed head a sympathetic look. She cocked her head, something wasn't quite right about this.

"I'm not saying there aren't! I just don't wanna protect people who treat others like trash."

The famous Iryou-nin contemplated that statement. Evidently, something had happened in the past to cause the boy to think in the way he did, she even knew that his status as a Jinchuuriki was something that would garner hostile reactions from the good majority of the populace. But to be so vehement? There was something else that he wasn't telling her.

"It's like Jiji doesn't really care about everyone! He only ever thinks about how the 'Village' is or how the 'Village' can be protected! What about his ninja?! What about the kids in the Orphanage?! Why do they get left out? Aren't they part of the Village too?!"

Shizune spared a shocked glance with her mentor before returning to her food. She had no idea what direction this was going in, neither did Tsunade for that matter, but then, he was finally opening up a bit rather than the vague answers he would give throughout their journey. She couldn't count how many times they had 'stepped outside' during a conversation. She admitted regretfully that at least he was a lot stronger than the first time they'd fought.

'_Wait...'What about his ninja'?!'_

"What do you mean by his ninja? Sarutobi doesn't protect his ninja?"

Naruto finished slurping his noodles before turning to her. She would've laughed at the soup stains around his mouth if the conversation hadn't taken the turn it did.

"Yeah! I was thinkin' about it see, and I thought 'how come there ain't any doctors on every team like you?' They'd be safer like that, wouldn't they?"

Tsunade almost gasped at his proclamation. It couldn't be. He'd just reiterated her exact sentiments that she'd proposed as a Jounin.

"W-What do you mean?"

Naruto glared down into his bowl, the soup reflecting his angry expression causing him to frown and turn to her again.

"Nearly every mission I've been on, somebody got hurt. I'm not stupid. When Shisui got hurt, I couldn't find a hospital anywhere and that got me thinkin'. If we had a doctor with us, Shisui might've been fine right now."

Tsunade was almost hyperventilating now. It was so strange, so melodramatic to hear her own words, her own feelings spoken back to her. Her chocolate orbs glittered as they shifted back to look into her own meal.

Could he be lying? Could he have only said that because he knew who she was and what her history had been like? She glanced at him from the corner of her eye but she saw no hesitation in his body language. His face was set and he seemed oddly resolute. It looked as if he was genuinely passionate on the subject. For all the time she had known him, she didn't think he was capable of such manipulation anyway.

She was about to speak when an ANBU agent appeared behind them.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage-Sama requests an audience."

Naruto jumped up and pointed at the elite.

"Well tell him I don't want to watch! I got other things to do right now!"

Shizune began to giggle and Tsunade slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Gaki, he means that the Sandaime wants to see you, not that he wants you to be his audience!"

Naruto stared at her.

"You sure?"

Tsunade nodded.

"Oh. Ok then!"

"Wait Naruto!"

He paused as Tsunade got up and seemed to fight with her emotions. Finally, she seemed to reach a conclusion as she grabbed something from behind her neck and placed it over his head. He looked down to his chest to see a bright blue jewel resting on his sternum.

"What's this?"

Tsunade smiled softly.

"Hold onto that for me would you?"

Naruto looked at her confusedly.

"Err...ok!"

He took off towards the Hokage Tower. Tsunade sat back down and caught Shizune's wide-eyed look.

"What?!"

She waved her hands quickly.

"N-Nothing!"

XXXXXXXXX

Naruto didn't bother going through the main door, he jumped through the open window instead. He grinned mischievously; Jiji was going to have a heart-attack!

His smile fell when he saw Jiraiya was still there, chatting amiably with the venerable Hokage. When Naruto landed, he looked up and began laughing at his mode of entrance. Sarutobi span around and fixed a stern gaze on the blond Jinchuuriki.

"Naruto-kun, I'll have to ask you to use the door next time."

Naruto continued to smile as he walked into the room and stood before the old Hokage.

"Sure thing Jiji, not like I'll listen though!"

Jiraiya began to choke as he chuckles got the better of him. The Sandaime glanced at his ex-student and sighed softly.

"I suppose I should have expected this to happen at some point, you did teach him after all."

He rubbed his temples and moved over to the chair behind his large mahogany desk. Settling into it, he clasped his hands in front of his face and looked over them at the Konoha Civilian.

"Naruto, it's good to see you back. Jiraiya tells me you managed the Kage Bunshin quite quickly."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck; at least he wasn't trying anything shady for now. Maybe he could trust him? He'd been a bit on edge at the response from the Villagers on the way to the Tower. When they'd reached the Village gates and the Chuunin guards had looked at him in awe, he thought that it must've been something to do with Tsunade coming back. But then when he'd separated from them on the ANBU's request, he'd noticed that most of the Villagers were giving him the same sort of look. He'd been perplexed at the evident change of heart of most of the population, given that they hadn't openly abused him, verbally or physically, for years now but they'd still shoot dark glares at him when he walked past. It was strange and unsettling and he began to wonder what had changed to make them seem almost...human.

"Heh, piece of cake!"

Sarutobi's eyes twinkled as he nodded his approval. Naruto had come a long way from the scared little child who they'd found in the Mizuki incident, the terrified boy, trembling in a pool of blood during the Uchiha Massacre. The difference was almost astounding; here was a teenager who could stand up to the best of the Jounin in the Village, a boy who could give even Orochimaru a run for his money.

"Excellent. Well, let's cut to the chase then shall we? Naruto, I know this is sudden, but I want you to become the Godaime Hokage, I want you to accept my hat from me when I step down after the Chuunin Exams are over."

If a pin had dropped, the sound of it hitting the floor would have been like the gong of a bell in that instant. Sarutobi couldn't help his pulse picking up and even Jiraiya seemed a bit bewildered with how sudden Hiruzen had brought the subject to bear. But Sarutobi was anxious to hear his answer, he had the form sitting on his desk and he needed it filed formally to the Council of Fire before the Finals in one week.

Naruto appeared caught in the headlights. His mouth was gaping, his eyes were wide and he couldn't form any coherent words. Sarutobi sighed.

It would be a long night.

ZZZZZZZZZZZ

AND CUT! Yes, the development we've all been waiting for! Will Naruto accept? Will he decline? Will he go on a rampage and destroy the Village in a Kyuubi-induced riot? Answers to that next time!

Oh and about Shisui, I shall repeat myself. There's no point in asking what will happen to him at this point, I have my plan finalised. Also, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I have reasons for doing what I did and you'll see the outcome later. I just want to point out that, chronologically; the Kakashi scene was after the final scene. That's important, and you'll see why next chapter!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and as I said, please leave a review so that I can conduct my test!

Ja ne!

MegaB


	45. Chapter 45

Yo all! Welcome to the 45th instalment of K:NP! I felt really bad about last chapter and so I hope this one will tide you over as we hit the last stretch!

Review Highlights....where to start? First off, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED LAST TIME! I managed to compare the stats and have come to the conclusion that it's either seriously messed up or most people don't care to leave a review. As of now, the hit count for chapter 44 stands at 3689 with 106 reviews. That means that not even 3% of readers review, which is quite saddening, but ah well.

The ones I did receive were amazing and I really had a hard time deciding who should go in the highlights! So I decided that only the ones that really affected me in some way would be up here! Those include Ryuusekei who said he'd murder me with a rubber chicken, quickshot for correctly predicting the science behind what happened (or will happen :P) to Shisui, Kleptomaniacal Weasel for saying 'HOW COULD YOU?!', knight of the forgotton for sending me hate mail, Ageant for throwing a shoe across the Atlantic (and still managing to miss!) and whateveritis12 for a ludicrous prediction that had me clutching my gut with laughter.

I'd also like to comment on the fact that so many people made remarks along the lines of Sarutobi 'popping the question'. I don't even want to know what you guys think when you say that! I'd also like to point out that I had a record number of death threats last chapter...yeah, just pointing that out!

And finally, I'd like to welcome alone shadow dream back to K:NP! ASD was one of my first reviewers ever! Good memories those ones!

Fanfic highlight goes to Uncle Stojil's 'All Is Relative Except the Stubbornness of a Demon'. It's an amazingly detailed story about a Naruto who goes back in time repeatedly and ends up with a peculiar outlook on the world. It really is one of the most outstanding stories on this site, the clarity and depth are unmatched as of yet. Stojil is Italian, so give him a break on the Spelling and Grammar front! Apart from that, I'm sure everyone will love it!

Anyway, enough of this! The much awaited chapter 45 shall now begin!

ZZZZZZZZZ

Naruto gaped disbelievingly. He couldn't have said what he thought he'd said? Could he?

Nah! The idea was just too ludicrous! Him? _Hokage?!_

The blond Jinchuuriki sighed exasperatedly.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that Jiji! What'd you say again?"

Naruto felt the stirrings of unease as the Sandaime's solemn gaze never once wavered from his own.

"I said, Naruto-kun, that I have nominated you to be the Godaime Hokage of Konoha."

What....What the _HELL?!_

After a few moments of total silence in which nobody moved, Naruto began to laugh. His laughter rose in volume slowly and it wasn't an angry laugh or an evil laugh, it was a genuinely innocent laugh after a good-natured joke.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Nice one Jiji! You had me there! I really thought you were bein' all serious and stuff, wanting me to be Hokage?! That's funny!"

Jiraiya shot an annoyed glare at his former Sensei, he knew something like this was going to happen.

"Hokage?! AHAHAHAHA! Maaaan, I wonder what everyone would say if I told them that you actually pranked me like that!"

"Oh I'm quite serious Naruto. I have the paperwork right here."

The venerable leader held up the nomination sheet with 'Uzumaki Naruto' clearly written underneath 'Hokage Nomination Form'. His mirth died on his lips as he steadily took in the gently fluttering leaf held in Hiruzen's hand.

"You...you can't be serious?"

Jiraiya palmed his face. Hadn't he told him it would go something like this? There was no way Naruto was going to accept something like that with the past he'd lived! Sarutobi cleared his throat lightly.

"You just asked me how the others would feel if they found out I'd asked you to be Hokage. What if I told you they already knew?"

Jiraiya shot him a withering glare but Sarutobi shrugged slightly. The Gama-Sennin exhaled slowly; that was the wrong thing to do. If Naruto found out that the Sandaime had been going behind his back in order to convince the populace of his worth without his knowledge...

"Jiji-"

The Hokage cut him off.

"Look Naruto, I know how you feel about being a Shinobi of Konoha however you must consider the fact that they need someone like you to lead them! I am old now and I'm not as strong as I once was; the Village needs a young, strong individual to lead them through the times to come! You are an ideal choice; it is true that you may not be mature nor old enough to do so, but I also believe that you will grow into the role should you be given the opportunity!"

Naruto could only stare in shock.

"Don't you think it's time to take up some responsibility? The Village doesn't hate you for who you are, and I think you've realised that yourself already."

Naruto's eyes hardened slightly.

"Y-you told them, didn't you?" He whispered, the sound seeming so foreign to his ephemerally boisterous attitude.

"Yes. Yes I did. And rightly so. They needed to be shown what an outstanding teenager you have become no matter the odds!"

Naruto's fists began to clench and unclench. His face slowly tightened into a frown and then to a full blown scowl. His forehead creased in anger and his eyes seemed to flash dangerously.

"WHAT THE HELL JIJI! YOU KNOW I'M NEVER GONNA PROTECT THIS HELL HOLE! HOW DARE YOU GO BEHIND MY BACK AND DO THIS JUST 'CAUSE I'M NOT HERE?! HUH?!"

Sarutobi seemed taken aback by the ferocity of his argument.

"Naruto, listen-"

"NO! YOU LISTEN TO ME! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR CRAP! JUST WHEN I THOUGHT YOU WERE GETTIN' BETTER! JUST WHEN I THOUGHT YOU STARTED CARING ABOUT PEOPLE HOW THEY SHOULD BE CARED ABOUT, YOU GO AND DO THIS STUFF!"

Naruto stormed up to the table and snatched the Nomination form from the old Hokage's hand, ripping it to shreds in front of his eyes.

"YOU THINK I WANTED THIS?! YOU THINK I WANT POWER OR...OR FAME OR **THIS?!** ALL I WANTED WAS FOR YOU TO TREAT ME LIKE I'M SOMEONE! LIKE I'M A PERSON LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!"

Jiraiya winced. Why, oh why hadn't Sensei listened to him?!

"I GAVE YOU YOUR CHANCE OLD MAN! YOU WANTED A CHANCE AND I GAVE YOU ONE! NOW YOU'VE WASTED IT! I'M NEVER COMIN' HERE AGAIN!"

Turning, he stomped towards the door, his fists closed so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

"Naruto! Everyone will accept you, I promise! I've already spoken to the Jounin and the Council! They were all positive about your recommendation!"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

"So you tried to force me into it then, huh? And I thought you couldn't sink any lower," he spat.

Throwing open the door, he walked out and slammed it behind him, the frame rattling under the force. Jiraiya sighed in annoyance.

"I would say 'I told you so' but I think that doesn't quite cut it."

Sarutobi began to massage his temples to stave off the growing headache blossoming behind his eyes.

"Jiraiya, just leave it....just leave it."

"Alright, but can you answer one question at least?"

Sarutobi nodded slowly. Jiraiya frowned.

"Why did you let him destroy the form?"

A small smile curled its way onto the old Hokage's lips.

"The only silver lining to this entire matter."

Jiraiya gaped. He couldn't believe it. Was his Sensei always this cunning? What a wily old weasel!

"Y-You mean to tell me that you _wanted_ him to do that?"

A small nod was his only reply and the answer to his unspoken question suddenly dawned on the Gama-Sennin.

"Damn. If the form doesn't get submitted...then the Hokage's nomination still stands! But then-"

"Precisely. He will still be the only nomination and so nobody can take the mantle until his answer is given."

Jiraiya was gobsmacked. It was ingenious, but then, the Sandaime risked alienating the blond even further if he ever found out!

"Only time will tell whether or not my suspicions will play out," Hiruzen said, and this time he really meant it.

XXXXXXXXX

Naruto stormed through Konoha towards his apartment, his mind focused solely on the treachery of the one he once considered his grandfather. He couldn't understand why the old man went out of his way to destroy his life and then mock him like he was some kind of circus animal to be led wherever he wanted. It was incomprehensible!

Naruto knew that his circumstances were unique; his friends had told him so many times in the last two and a half years. There had never been a Civilian allowed to continue learning Shinobi techniques to the level he had, but it wasn't due to their not having the skills. It was more to do with the motivation. Most of the Academy Dropouts didn't want anything to do with the Shinobi practices and so wouldn't progress above that level. In the odd circumstance where an ex-student sought further training, viable teaching was almost impossible to find outside of the endorsed routes. But that didn't mean he could be used like...like some kind of _tool!_

Didn't the old man care? Wasn't it the Hokage's job to care about his Village, about the welfare of his citizens? Wasn't that the whole point behind the position in the first place? Sure, he hadn't really had much to do with any sort of leadership, but it was clear in the case of his friends and their teams that the individual's happiness was of great importance to the success of a mission. That's why Kakashi and Shisui strove to keep their subordinates in the best condition they could, that's why they went above the call of duty to save their counterparts when they were captured, outnumbered or just generally in a situation above their heads!

The blond Jinchuuriki ignored the surprised and awed populace as he stomped his way across a street opposite his apartment complex. He trudged up the stairs, his feet making deep, reverberating sounds as they met the hollow wood beneath him. His mind was so deeply focused on his anger at the Sandaime that he hardly considered his destination. When he arrived at his front door, he automatically reached into his right trouser pocket and withdrew the single silver key attached to a weathered steel chain. Sticking the key roughly into the keyhole, he unlocked the door and pushed to swing it inwards, only to stop and find it unmoving.

Frowning, he braced his shoulder and pushed again. The door didn't move an inch. Thinking the lock hadn't opened correctly; he twisted it back into place and then unlocked it again. He heard the distinctive scrape of the mechanism as the lock slid off and so his frown deepened when the door would not budge once again.

'_What the hell is going on?'_

He retracted the key slowly and remembered that TenTen was staying over at the moment. He knocked loudly and stood waiting for her to open the door. Maybe there was something blocking it from the inside?

He began to feel stupid when there was no response for over five minutes. A slight bit of apprehension began to creep into his mind. Something couldn't have happened whilst he was away, could it? TenTen could take care of herself; it wasn't as if anyone would target his home just because he wasn't there!

He slowly turned and walked to the end of the balcony, his eyes searching out his bedroom window that faced outwards from the side of the building. The curtains were pulled over and he couldn't see anything inside. Could TenTen be sleeping still? It was way past noon and she was usually up and training by mid-morning. Maybe she was exhausted because of the crazy green guy pushing her so hard?

All thoughts of the day's events forgotten, Naruto jumped to the side of the nearest building and walked up its surface to reach his window. He hopped from the wall to the small balcony that led to his bedroom and attempted to pull the glass door open. He grumbled when it too did not move.

'_Just what the hell is she doing in there?! She'd better have not blown up the kitchen again!'_

The image of the bun-haired Kunoichi standing amidst a smoking stove, her hair frazzled and singed, her face covered in soot and ash flashed through Naruto's mind. Who the hell tried to fry Soba with a ladle?!

Sighing in irritation, he pulled one of his Ryu-Zashi from its sheath on his back and dug it into the small gap between the frame and the door. Adding leverage, he lifted one leg and braced it against the wall as he pulled and simultaneously channelled Wind Chakra to the side of the blade. The door shot open with a bang, rattling the frame horrendously and almost bouncing closed from the force of the push. Naruto stumbled but managed to stay upright. He replaced his Wakizashi behind his head and strode purposefully into his bedroom.

He wasn't prepared for the sight that met his eyes.

The room was a complete mess. TenTen's clothes were strewn haphazardly around the small bedroom, some hanging from the side of his bed whilst others were randomly lying all over the floor. One pair of socks had managed to get stuck above his light bulb! He scratched his head. Was it that time of the month?

Looking around cautiously, he padded softly towards the hallway door, remembering to flick his shoes off before stepping onto the soft carpet. The state of the room befuddled him; had something happened to make his female friend so angry that she trashed the place in her rage? He approached the door to his room and pulled it open, the hinges rattling raucously.

And that's when he saw her.

He couldn't prevent the gasp that escaped from between his lips. He immediately ran to her side, her form slumped awkwardly against the far wall, her hair limp and bunched, covering her features.

"TenTen! TenTen! What's wrong?"

She didn't stir. He began to shake her slowly and then more frantically when she gave no response. He glanced around hurriedly; the hallway and living room were in much the same state as his bedroom with the furniture toppled and other items he was sure came from the bathroom and kitchen all over the place. What worried him though, were the Kunai and Shuriken embedded into the walls, the steel glinting ominously as the light from the open door in his bedroom spilled into the hall.

TenTen groaned softly.

"Ten-chan! Can you hear me?! What happened in here?"

She lifted her head slowly, her greasy brown tresses framing her face. Her eyes opened blearily, blinking away the sleep and gunk that had collected in them. Her eyes were heavily ringed as if she hadn't had much sleep lately and her face had a thick layer of dirt covering it, the only exception being the two trails of clean skin extending from beneath her eyes to her chin.

She'd been crying and she hadn't washed her face in ages.

"Naru...to..."

He brought his ear close to her mouth so that he could pick out her words easier.

"Yeah, yeah! It's me!"

She blinked stupidly.

"Naoto...dead..."

He stiffened.

_WHAT?!_

He sat hunched like that for a while, his mind unable to comprehend what she'd just said. His arms were half hugging her to him and his head had lowered to rest on her neck.

"H-Higurashi-san...he's d-dead?"

She nodded slowly, fresh tears trailing their way down her cheeks, softly glittering like crystals.

"H-How?"

She shook her head, the movement jarring and off balance. He steadied her before she toppled sideways.

"Was he here? Did he get attacked by someone? Where did all those Kunai come from?!"

She shook her head again, the tears began coming faster.

"N-no...that was...that was me."

He looked, bewildered, at her statement.

"What was you? What happened?"

She smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. His heart ached for the trauma she had been through.

"When I heard...I-I broke down. I couldn't take it...I was losing everything. I just kind of lost it."

She laughed harshly and began coughing, her parched mouth getting the better of her.

"I waited for you for so long...so long..."

He hugged her tightly.

"I'm here Ten-chan! I'm here."

She nodded against him, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe through her silent hiccups. Naruto quickly got up and returned with a glass of water in hand. Luckily the kitchen was still intact. She gulped the clear liquid greedily, her body shuddering from the cold as it made its way down her throat. She sighed softly and rested her head against the wall. Within moments, she was fast asleep again.

Naruto was going mad by now; he had no idea how to cope with this. First Tsunade gave him a really heavy necklace, then the Sandaime said he'd nominated him as the next Hokage and now he comes home to find TenTen in some sort of depression, the house in chaos and Higurashi Naoto dead?! In retrospect, he thought, this was all probably a dream and he'd wake up soon. There was just no way the world had gone insane in the space of a single night.

He stooped to gather his friend into his arms and moved back to the bedroom. He laid her gently onto the bed and swiped the clothes from above the quilt whilst tucking her in. She was deeply asleep by now and so she didn't wake up. He quickly kicked most of the clothes into a corner and shut the balcony door as quietly as he could. Exiting the room, he shut the bedroom door and leaned against it.

It hit him then. Higurashi-san was dead! His throat constricted painfully and his eyes began to prickle with unshed tears. The kindly weapons store owner was one of the few people who had never judged him by rumours alone. He remembered his shop as being one of three public venues he could visit without the glares and hard looks being sent his way. For a child who had been ostracised almost his entire life, it was a very great thing to have.

What was going on?! Higurashi-san was dead?! How the hell had that happened and how had he not known about it? He couldn't take much more of this; he had no idea how to react to all this insanity going on around him! And Jiji wanted him to manage a whole Village?!

His mind was in overdrive, his emotions a storm of anxiety. He had to get out of here, out from the claustrophobic atmosphere that had built up while he'd been away. He had to leave!

He strode to the front door, only to find the heavy oak nailed by Kunai and Shuriken, much like the walls in the hall and living room. He pulled them out, the holes remaining, allowing light to filter through like some kind of heavenly beacon. He wrenched the door open hurriedly and moved out to the balcony once again. Shutting and locking the door behind him, he jumped from the railing.

Anywhere was better than here right now.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Right so remind me again why we're coming here?"

The Raikage sighed and for the millionth time that day, wondered why he'd picked his bodyguards the way he had.

"Look, Omoi. Just shut up about it. I'm the Raikage and I said so, that should be enough for you!"

The entourage cut an imposing figure, two large, dark-skinned men, one carrying six Katana and the other toting the Kage hat of Kaminari no Kuni causing the available pathway to Konoha to clear of almost anyone in their path. Samui massaged her shoulders and chewed on her bottom lip alongside a prim and proper Nii Yugito, ever the picture of the perfect Kunoichi. Bee was mumbling some rubbish under his breath, no doubt attempting to come up with some more of his terrible 'rhymes' that were the scourge of Cloud's infamous hidden Village. Omoi coughed lightly and shrugged.

"Well, I was just saying that you should be worrying about it! I mean the last time we sent an emissary here, we ended up getting a backlog from the Fire Daimyo about tryna steal the Byakugan! What if the whole Village turns out for a riot?"

Karui smacked him over the head sharply.

"OWW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

She glared at him icily.

"STOP OVER THINKING THINGS IDIOT! RAIKAGE-SAMA KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING!"

"Yeah, but what if Uzumaki decides he don't like us?! Then the trip'll have been all for nothin'!"

He ducked another swipe of her hand and Samui sighed lethargically.

"Would you two just shut up please? We're being stared at like we're the next best thing to the circus."

Omoi immediately glanced around surreptitiously to find that they were indeed being discussed in hushed tones from the others travelling the same way as them. Bee brightened up immediately.

"BEHOLD, MY BEAUTIES! I DON'T HAVE COOTIES!"

The group groaned audibly and shot Samui an exasperated look, which she shrugged off sheepishly.

"Hey, it's not my fault he's such an attention hog!" She whispered.

"I'M THE RAP SENSATION, SWEEPING THE NATION! I DON'T NEED NO FEE, JUST CALL ME BEE!"

If it was possible, the surrounding silence grew ever quieter from his proclamation.

"Bee, you shout one more word and I'm declaring open-season on your head," the Raikage whispered. Bee turned to him.

"Hey Aniki, what's with the vanity?"

He punctured his statement with a two-fingered salute which caused the others to gag before jumping him.

"O-Oi!-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP BEE!"

The Raikage palmed his face. It was at times like these he'd wished he'd brought Darui along instead. He turned back to focusing on the path before him, Konoha's gates looming in the distance. His mind, however, was on other matters.

Uzumaki Naruto intrigued him. A child so young, yet so capable that he could probably match everyone here bar he and his brother. It was a notion so remotely foreign for such a child to be so strong. It was almost as if there was something else behind it, another factor that he was missing that was critical to his prowess.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He could think about this later. For now, he needed to get through the bore of meeting the vaunted, yet aged leadership of the supposedly 'greatest' hidden Village of the Elemental Nations. As the group of six stepped through the gates, he snorted lightly.

Greatest his ass.

As soon as they breached the perimeter, they felt the change in the air. It was like stepping into a river so large that you were submerged from the head. The Raikage knew it was some sort of tracking or protection seal that was powered from somewhere else in the Village. Probably a security measure that had played a big role sometime in the past. He glanced around him, watching his subordinates approach a small, wooden booth near the entrance, manned by two Shinobi wearing the Hitai-ate of the Leaf. Striding over, the other five moved out of the way for their leader.

Izumo looked up and stiffened as one of the five strongest individuals of their world, and the most imposing in his opinion, walked purposefully up to their cabin. Kotetsu was snoring lightly in the back and he quickly elbowed him into wakefulness. He yelped in pain, rubbing his eyes as he blinked the sleep away.

"Oi Izumo! Wha's tha' for. Huh?!"

He shushed him quickly.

"Don't you shush me-"

He froze mid-sentence as the looming, humongous shadow of an easily six-foot man blocked his vision. He trembled as his eyes trailed from the large, buckled black boots, to the White-and-Blue Kage hat riding atop a squarish head.

"R-R-R-Rai-"

"Good afternoon pipsqueaks."

Kotetsu yelped and stared up at the man in shock. The Raikage's visage twitched into a faint shimmer of a smile. He was amused.

"As you no doubt have intelligently deciphered by now," his gaze bored into them like a laser beam, "we," he gestured to his associates, "are here for the finals of the Chuunin Exam. If you would be so kind as to direct us to our next destination..."

Izumo gulped silently. When faced with a giant, northern man, the first reaction he usually had was to run in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Kotetsu obviously shared the sentiment if his vice-like grip on his shoulder was anything to go by. Izumo stood shakily.

"R-Raikage-Dono, if you'd kindly wait a moment, I shall summon someone who can do just that. Kotetsu, man the stall whilst I'm away and _don't fall asleep this time!_" The last bit he hissed to his companion.

Izumo vaulted over the counter and disappeared in a smoky Shunshin. Samui rolled her shoulders and stepped up to the boot.

"So, errr-"

"K-Kotesu, Hagane Kotetsu."

Samui grinned slightly. Newly minted Chuunin. Ah, the insecurity of youth!

"Right, Hagane-san, where can I get some fresh Orange Juice with a place to sit down? These guys drive me nuts all the time and I think I deserve a break!"

She smiled impishly at Karui's frosty glance.

"Samui! How dare you say that about us?!"

"S-Samui?!"

She turned back to the Leaf Chuunin.

"What?" A single neatly trimmed eyebrow rose daintily to accompany her question.

"S-Samui, from BOLT Team Samui, the Kumo Sanken?!"

"Oh, so you've heard of us have you?"

Kotetsu sat back faintly, his mind spinning. Not only was he in the presence of the Raikage, but also their most lauded elites!

"R-Right...."

Samui placed a single hand on the counter and leaned forward.

"So about that juice?"

He pointed to a small stall off the main walkway, a bright overhang depicting a bowl of liquid, probably juice, with a small stick protruding from the top and a slice of lemon perched on its point. It looked quaint but comfortable and Samui felt herself smiling despite her apathetic, albeit eternally annoyed exterior.

"Thanks."

Kotetsu nodded jerkily, still trying to get his mind around the idea of six of Kumo's strongest legends before him.

"Damn it! Why do we always have to wait?! First it's for a month for the damn thing to finally get here and now we have to wait for an _escort?!_ What the hell do they think we are? Dignitaries?!"

Karui frowned at her male teammate's incessant whining.

"Oh shut up Omoi! Of course we have to have an escort! We were at war with them not ten years ago!"

Omoi groaned.

"It's not like we're going to start beating them up for no reason! We're only here to see that brat Uzuma-"

A hand descended on his mouth and Kotetsu shot them a confused glance. Was he going to say Uzumaki?

"Omoi, one more peep outta you and I'll show you why my Rairyuudan is so famous!"

The dark skinned man let out a sort of squealing sound but fell quiet.

"Good. Now Bee, I'm sure I don't need to tell you to behave yourself while we stay here. I don't want any more mountains blown up! Do you understand?"

Bee smirked behind his sunglasses, his right hand rising in a respect sign.

"Sure thing bro! I ain't gonna blow! Tha's fo' sho'!"

Yugito groaned beside him. Did he even realise that his statement had different connotations?!

"And Yugito?"

She immediately snapped to attention.

"HAI RAIKAGE-SAMA!"

The huge man winced at the volume.

"First of all, don't shout. I'm right here. Secondly, you're on guard detail for the rest of today. The rest of you...shut up and get some rest. I'll probably be meeting with the Hokage at some point, and I hope the hotel will be in one piece when I get back."

The four murmured their assent and in Omoi's case, a little resentfully. Damn Raikage treating them like they were little kids! It wasn't like that incident in Iwa happened all the time! So what if the boiler room exploded? It was the hotel manager's fault for installing temperature controls for the customers! That's just asking for trouble.

They stopped talking when Samui rejoined them, one hand fingering her blade strapped to her right hip. She massaged her shoulder with the other whilst balancing a juice cartoon on the same extremity, her face scrunched up in concentration.

"Raikage-thama, theemth like we have that company."

"Yeah, 'theemth tho'."

Two ANBU agents appeared beside them along with the other Chuunin who had been with Kotetsu. Samui winked at the nervous Chuunin before leaping along behind their guard detail like an especially lithe feline.

She'd treat it as a holiday. God knows she needed some downtime away from the two dolts that were her squad mates!

XXXXXXX

Senju Tsunade strode with purpose into Konoha Central Hospital, her presence eliciting gasps of shock and awe from staff and patients alike. She ignored them like she always did, her stony exterior focused on one thing and one thing alone.

She had made a promise and she intended to keep it.

Without a moment's pause, she stepped in front of the desk, by-passing the small queue, that at first, grumbled about 'line hopping' before going silent when they realised just who it actually was that line hopped. Tsunade's stern gaze bored into the docile receptionist who became very anxious all of a sudden, a harried expression spreading across her features.

"You! Could you tell me where Uchiha Shisui is currently placed?"

The nurse stared unabashedly, the legend slowly filtering into her brain like goo. Tsunade sighed inwardly; they were all a bunch of idiots.

"I-I don't think..." she seemed to pull herself together before continuing, "I don't think it would be appropriate to tell someone who isn't staff outside of visiting hours."

Tsunade quirked a blonde eyebrow.

"Oh? Tell me; is it outside of visiting hours?"

The nurse hurriedly glanced at the clock to find that it was indeed still within the visiting period.

"Ah, well...let me just-"

"Do you think I have time for this?! All I want to know is what room Uchiha Shisui is in! Is that so hard?"

The nurse visibly struggled to control herself, the anger she must've felt from the hidden barb battling with the respect for the individual before her. Her mouth snapped into a thin line and she quickly rifled through a filing cabinet beneath her desk. She straightened, hefting a file almost the size of an encyclopaedia within her grasp. Flicking it open, she flipped to the last page and glanced down at the details.

"He's in Ward 18 for indefinite and long-term injuries. Third door on the right."

Tsunade nodded.

"Thank you."

As she moved to the lift, she caught sight of Shizune running into the building and staring around frantically. She'd ditched the poor girl at the hotel because she didn't want her getting attached to anything in Konoha. The last thing she needed was her apprentice getting fond of the one place she had no desire to stay in beyond her self-appointed task. Keeping her head down, she moved towards the stairs and began the climb to the third floor.

It was getting dark outside, almost twilight in fact. She'd thought long and hard about what she would do in Konoha and how she would go about doing it. The best course of action she had decided on was to heal Shisui without telling anyone and then leave while they were none the wiser. That way she didn't see any more of herself in Naruto and neither would Sarutobi catch her before she had time to scram.

She stared grumpily at the bleached white walls of the building she had hated with such passion. This was the building Nawaki had died in. This was the building Dan had been placed after they'd reached home from that ill-fated mission to the border of Iwa. She detested this place, the reminder of her past horrors fresh in her mind. Bile rose in her throat, threatening to burst from her mouth as her stomach curled in on itself, but she viciously crushed her unease, swallowing the putrid substance hastily.

White, white and more white. The smell of disinfectant strong in her nostrils. She sneezed, her hands shaking as her memories battered her mind with images of blood, death and terror. She was walking as if in a dream, her body unmindful of anything going on around her. She bumped into someone on the stairs yet didn't even respond beyond a mumbled 'sorry'. Her heels clacked loudly on the white tiling, death-gongs to her hearing. Some said that her past had affected her so much that she'd become obsessed with it. She'd become so far entrenched within the bad memories that she couldn't set foot in a hospital without her latent insanity rising behind her mind. She shook herself distantly; she had to focus for now before she really did go insane.

She stepped onto the landing of the third floor, the expansive corridor with thin, flat carpeting and a square, plastic sign denoting 'Ward 18: Long Term Care Unit' brightly across its surface. The corridor was empty, the shallow lighting casting shifting shadows playing across the whitewashed walls like phantoms from her worst nightmares. She drew in a shaky breath.

It was just a hospital! Why was she reacting in such an extreme way?! She'd practically lived in the thing during the Third Great Shinobi War! It was getting progressively darker outside, the sun had completely set and the sky had become an inky blue flecked with stray flashes of deep red and violet. She exhaled deeply.

Just as she was about to continue on her way, a small storage cupboard just within the enclosure to the stairwell caught her attention. There wasn't anything special about it, it was a simple wooden structure with a small hole set into the right side, no doubt where the key would fit to unlock it. However, it wasn't locked, it was open ever so slightly and that wasn't what caught her attention either.

It was the small trickle of red, a tiny stream of crimson liquid that seeped from the crack at the bottom. Tsunade frowned; could they have stored the blood samples in there and some had gotten loose? That was beyond bad procedure! It should be downstairs in the fridge room if memory served her well.

Curiosity peeked, she pulled it open only to recoil in shock, her hand flying to her mouth as a bloodied body of a female nurse fell to the floor and rolled onto its back, the eyes staring unseeingly up into the legendary Iryou-nin's chocolate gaze. She would have screamed, but she had begun hyperventilating almost immediately. She fell to her knees, her heart racing so fast that she could hear nothing but the blood pumping through her veins.

The woman had died a horrible death. The entire front of her neck from the sternum to her chin was ripped out violently. Strands of flesh and muscle hung limply from the wound, blood flowing freely now that the corpse was free of its impromptu tomb. Her eyes shakily trailed back up to the cupboard only for her to regret looking. The enclosure was practically painted in blood, a long, dragged smear of the life-giving liquid following the body to where it lay unmoving on the floor.

Tsunade closed her eyes, tears prickling the corners of her eyes as she sought to banish the hellish image that she'd witnessed. She tried to shake herself, only succeeding in upsetting her gut once more, this time vomit entered her mouth but she desperately willed it down.

_Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic._

She reached forwards, her eyes still shut as she searched for the name tag that would inevitably be located on the nurse's person. After a short moment of scrabbling, her fingers caught the edge of a thread of string and she pulled it to her, ripping it from the blouse it was attached to. Scrunching her eyes, she quickly stood and hurried away from the body, the blood seeping into a large puddle beneath the dead form of the mid-twenty year old.

When she was a fair distance away, she released a sickly breath, the taste of bile permeating her throat. She hacked and coughed before peering down at the small slip of bloodied plastic within her hand.

Her breath caught in her throat.

_Uchiha Shisui._ She was Uchiha Shisui's nurse! Her mind raced ahead, trying to figure out what was going on. Was someone after him? Did someone want him dead? Was there something going on that Jiraiya and Naruto hadn't known about?

She steadied herself, her speeding pulse once again roaring in her ears. She had to get to him! Before something else happened! If something happened to Shisui...

_The look on his face when he stared down at his Ramen, his eyes cerulean pools so lost that the breath caught in her throat. At that point she really thought he was a child, a child caught up in the dangerous world of adults. A world of death, of carnage and betrayal. The world she had so desperately fled from when it became too much for her to bear._

She began to walk quickly. She broke into a jog, then to a full-blown sprint. The doors flashed by and she heard a commotion from the same room she had been directed too. Her blood ran cold.

Uchiha Shisui's room.

She barrelled right through just in time to see a copy of the murdered nurse from the hallway rise from a prone position beside the bed of the comatose Uchiha. She screamed in terror, in rage and in sorrow as the scalpel flashed down and severed Naruto's friend's Jugular Vein. She saw red and she wasn't the only one. She was too far away to help, her body framing the light from the corridor. She heard a shout tear from the throat of a man, a glowing form, a tornado of breathtaking Chakra hurtling through the shadows before disappearing and reappearing in a soundless, smokeless Shunshin beside the demon who had destroyed any hope that they could have had. A brutal punch slammed into his brow, throwing the killer into the wall with the force of a speeding train. The man, and she realised who it was now as the dim light from the corridor brushed his face, tears flickering like jewels as he shouted his defiance to the world, Hatake Kakashi tore into him with a ruthlessness so barbaric that she felt the twinge of her soul.

He pounded the downed man's skull, smashed it to bits, not even stopping when he blew a hole right through the cranium. Fragments of bone and brain flew into the air, the already stained walls dripping from a deluge a bodily matter that she refused to think about. The other occupant of the room rushed to stop the Copy-nin and she just barely caught four figures fleeing through the window at the far end of the ward.

The woman grabbed the raging, unstoppable man by the arms, attempting to cease his inhuman cruelty.

"Ka-Kakashi, th-that's enough!"

He struggled, ignoring Anko's sobs.

"KAKASHI STOP IT!"

They were crying now, all three of them, openly crying at the tragedy that had occurred in this room. The other patients slept on soundlessly, dead to the world and unfairness of it all that was happening only meters away. Shisui's neck had been cut, not even a minute before.

_Not even a minute before..._

She cursed herself for not realising. She cursed herself, hated the fact that she hadn't thought of it sooner. When blood ceases its flow to the brain, the patient has more than a minute before any brain damage would be suffered. They have up to three minutes before imminent brain death.

She had time.

Instantly, she threw the lights on and rushed to his bedside. She grabbed Kakashi and bodily threw him into a corner so that she could get to his neck without any obstruction. She ignored the purple-haired woman's confused and tear-stained glance as she quickly pooled her Chakra into her hands. She initiated the healing Jutsu; she didn't have enough time to run a scan. Cupping the two ends of the sliced Vein, she gripped hard, forcing them together with reckless abandon. She prayed that it would work, for their sake, for Naruto's sake. Emerald Chakra shone in her palms as the epidermal wall knitted together. It was slow going but it would work.

It had to.

"You! GET THE HELL OUT THERE AND GET SHIZUNE IN HERE NOW!"

The purple-haired woman looked startled for a moment.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" She roared, "GO NOW, OR HE'LL DIE!"

She nodded, tearing out of the room. There were surprised voices in the hallway, strained shouting about a corpse and Tsunade realised that they'd found the body. Three medic-nin accompanied by Shizune ran into the room.

"Shizune! This is a third-degree injury! The patient had his Jugular Vein severed. You know what to do!"

She gulped, rolling up her sleeves. Shisui's heart had stopped beating and the ECG had flat lined causing a dull monotone to reverberate around the room.

"And someone turn that damned thing off!"

They worked solidly, closing the wound and sealing the vessel within seconds. They had to restart his heart straight away for fear of atrophy taking its toll and killing him before he even had a chance to live. Electricity sparked around her hands.

"Clear!"

The others moved away as she thumped the current into his heart, his body arching from the Voltage.

"No response!" One of the doctors squeaked.

She swore.

"Clear!"

Blue lines skittered across his chest as lightning coursed through his body, his mouth open in a soundless scream. There was no change in pulse and she began to feel as if it was a lost cause.

"Clear! Clear! Clear! Clear!"

Again and again, the current slammed into his heart and he returned to the deathly still position he was always in.

"Sh-shishou...h-he's done-"

"NO!" She screamed. Her eyes shook in their sockets, her face dripping with blood, sweat and tears.

"NO! HE'S NOT DEAD! HE CAN'T DIE! NARUTO WOULD-

"Naruto would...."

Her head slumped forward staring at nothing as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear. All that reached her ears was white noise, like the sound of a waterfall in the distance. She slowly became aware of a beeping sound, louder than the others that were in the background. She opened her eyes slowly, her head rotating mechanically to stare sideways at the machine on the wall beside his bed.

His pulse! His heart was beating!

She heard a shout of surprise and with a jolt realised that they had done it, they had saved him. She fell backwards onto her behind, her back resting with the metal rail of another empty bed. She exhaled slowly, releasing the pent up frustration and tension that tightened her body.

"Ts-Tsunade. What is that man doing here?"

She glanced up to see an elderly male doctor in green scrubs pointing at the unconscious form of Hatake Kakashi.

"That man...is probably the only reason why the patient is alive right now. Put him in a bed would you?"

She was too tired to put up her cold, uncaring facade, mentally and physically. Shizune came around and sat down beside her, tears still flowing from her eyes but a look of heart-wringing joy on her face.

"We did it! We did it Tsunade-Sama! How did you get here in time?"

The only female Sannin shook her head briefly, thanking the heavens that she did. She looked up when there was another commotion in the hall and a figure stepped into the open doorway.

She froze.

Her mind flashed and she was once again standing in the morgue a few floors down from her position. She felt herself staring, staring at the body of her little brother, not even a teenager and yet deathly pale. She could feel the same hopelessness, the same terror as if she was witnessing the memory again in real life. Her mind flashed again, this time looking down upon a silver, long-haired, gentle faced man, his eyes closed and the sound of wailing in her ears.

She only then realised that the wailing was her own.

Naruto stood, his eyes wide, his mouth a rictus of shock. Tsunade swore loudly.

"Get him away from here! DON'T LET HIM IN HERE!"

He caught her eye, the swirling delphinium hiding a terrible anger. Her breath hitched in her throat. He strode into the room, batting away the doctors' attempts to stop him. He stopped by the bed and she heard his whisper.

"Orochimaru."

She started. Could it be? Could her wily ex-teammate have made an attempt on his friend's life?

He glanced at her again and she saw the raw fury, barely restrained in his eyes and it was at that moment she felt a sliver of pity.

She pitied her teammate. That was the look of a cold-blooded killer, the look of an assassin assured of his mark. Fresh tears made their way to her eyes as he jumped out the window and she heard his scream. Everyone in the Village had probably heard it; such was the volume of his incensed words.

"OROCHIMARU! YOU _**WILL DIE!**_"

XXXXXXXXX

A wooden walking stick tapped unremittingly on the surface of the thin concrete that led to a small cottage on the outskirts of the Village of Konoha. The nondescript building looked homely and exuded a feeling of overwhelming warmth with a cobblestone driveway, a patched roof and green creepers twisting their way up the walls as their name suggested. Nobody would suspect the place to be one of ROOT's few hideouts and safe houses in the Village major.

No-one.

Danzo smirked to himself as he approached the door; he was so clever to choose a place like this! The old monkey would never catch him in his skulduggery! Knocking twice, the door instantly opened and the one-eyed war hawk stepped inside. He relaxed almost imperceptibly, the decor almost glowing in the affectionate colours it had been decorated with. The walls were a cool cream, the pile carpet that sunk slightly as you stepped on it, a floral green. He stepped out of his sandals and revelled in the soft material beneath his feet; it was at times like these that he wished he never had to preserve his status as a strict taskmaster. He would pay good money to live in a comfortable home such as this.

Shaking his head ruefully, he plodded lightly into the living room and tapped his cane three times on the solid oak dresser that stood off to one side. Almost immediately, two puffs made him aware of his most trusted agents' arrival behind him.

"Fu, Torune, status report."

He felt rather than saw the two of them nod sharply.

"Sir, it is my displeasure to report that Orochimaru's plan failed yesterday. Uchiha Shisui was approached but Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko arrived in time to prevent the extraction of your Sharingan."

Danzo pulled in a quick breath.

"Failed? _He failed?!_ Torune! Why did we pay that idiot?"

He turned around to see the addressed kneeling in front of him.

"We paid him because he assured us of his success, Danzo-Sama. It seems that our course of action was a mistake. Our hand may have been tipped to Sarutobi."

Danzo harrumphed at the name of his rival.

"That old fool will rue the day he stuck that spoon up my butt..."

"Sir? Did you just say-"

With horror, the old war hawk realised he'd said that out loud.

"You two!" he barked, "I did not just say anything! Did I just say anything?!"

They shifted slightly.

"No, Danzo-Sama! You did not just say anything!"

"Excellent!" he groused, stroking his chin softly. He had to stop the habit of saying his thoughts aloud, it was becoming embarrassing and his image would be ruined at this rate. But what to do about the Snake of the Sannin's failure...

"Fu, does the Hokage know about the invasion?"

Fu shook his head.

"No sir, he does not. At least, he doesn't know any of the details, though from my reconnaissance, it is safe to say that he suspects something."

Danzo hummed to himself quietly. Orochimaru deserved punishment for such a gross mistake and the best way to do it was to ruin the prideful Nuke-nin's plans just as he'd done to him.

"Right. Torune, I want you to leak some of the invasion details to Sarutobi. That will teach him to mess with my plans! Fu, continue your spying efforts on the Hokage but be ready for new orders at any time. Dismissed!"

With simultaneous puffs of smoke, the ROOT agents departed from their leader's company.

Danzo strode to the settee facing glass, double-doors to a beautiful little garden, complete with a small pond and fountain at its centre. He sat down heavily, continuing to ponder the latest hitch in his plans. Orochimaru could not obtain his Sharingan from the comatose Uchiha Shisui. He had planned for the vaunted eye to replace the one he lost so many years ago and now he would remain half blind until he could muster the resources for another attempt. Hopefully the drug being fed into the oldest surviving Uchiha would keep him comatose until that event could come to pass. He chuckled airily.

None of the current Iryou-nin had the skills necessary to discover the chemical in the boy's bloodstream anyway.

No, his victory would be assured and when it was...

When it was...

Then what?!

ZZZZZZZZZZ

AND CUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!

Phew! I got totally caught up in Tsunade's scene! Damn, my heart was literally racing as I wrote that! What a horrible experience to describe!

Right so there you have it, some questions answers, some questions raised. Orochimaru made a vital mistake and Danzo's moving in the shadows. His plan failed, but was his animosity at the Godaime nomination feigned or sincere? We're fast approaching the end now!

So I hope you like it! The Kumo guys are in town so next chapter should be more light-hearted than this heart-wrenching one! XP

Do leave a review! Reviews are an authors food and allows them to get chapters out faster!

Ja!

~B


	46. Chapter 46

Yoshaaaa!

I don't think an apology would be suitable here...I mean, it's been months with nary a peep from my mouth eh?

But I am ALIVE! Excuses? Ummm....Uni started? Loadsa Coursework and labs and exams and and...

All that stuff?

*ahem*

So here we are, chapter 46. Now I've forgotten most of the reviews and what they were about. I couldn't even reply to a lot of them! But have no fear! I did read them all and I appreciate every word that anyone sends me!

One review did stand out though and I'd like to thank an unregistered reviewer by the name of 'Kiri'. I read your review and I just have to say that it was epic. So much so that I showed it to a few people just because it was so awesome. Thank you, thank you so much and I hope that I can continue to render you speechless with my nonsensical antics!

Also, a big thank you to el, my support throughout this difficult time! This chapter is dedicated to you and your awesomeness, I'm sure you'll find lots of hidden references to amuse you buried in this chapter!

So without further ado, chapter 46! AND A SURPRISE OMAKE!

ZZZZZZZZZ

"Damn Raikage putting us on crappy missions..."

"Oh, shut up Omoi!"

Omoi and Karui, the two resident jokers bar Bee leapt from rooftop to rooftop in their attempt to find one Uzumaki Naruto. They had been given the mission by their very own leader who, for some unknown reason, had become interested in the young blond. Before he'd left for his meeting with the Sandaime Hokage he'd tasked the two teammates with locating the Konoha troublemaker and surveying him for that night. Yugito was on guard duty at their apartment room and their team leader, Samui, had insisted on a visit to one of Konoha's famed Onsen.

And everybody knew what Bee was doing.

Omoi shook his head lethargically.

"No really! It weren't even my fault! I was just sitting closest to the damn thing when Bee decided it must be the controller to the speaker system!"

Karui shot him a disbelieving look.

"What? You don't believe me?!"

Karui groaned.

"Look Omoi. We're not stupid. Everyone saw you reach up to turn it before the whole thing blew up in our face! Raikage-Sama had to do some emergency negotiation because of _that_ incident! And where were you afterwards anyway?!"

Omoi landed on a surface with anti-climb paint and spent a moment scrambling to get a firm footing before leaping back up next to Karui.

"I told you! I was tryna calm the manager down! What if we'd left him all ballistic? He'd have fined us a huge amount for that!"

She turned away from him, her black her swirling beneath her bandanna as if she were underwater.

"All I'm saying is that you need to be more aware of your surroundings! It's like that time at Hannaji Bridge and you couldn't get over the ravine!"

Omoi gawked at her.

"Of course I couldn't get over! You were the one who friggin' collapsed it! And what about Samui?! She couldn't get over either could she?"

Karui waved an elegant hand as she dipped onto a pylon, the taut material stretching before shooting her back up into the air with an audible twang.

"You can't blame Taicho! She was unconscious remember?"

Omoi snorted lightly.

"Yeah, because she was trigger-happy and cut a bloody tree down on her head."

"Well she _did_ take out most of the Taki-nin, didn't she? Not like you hiding somewhere!"

Karui huffed indignantly and Omoi was sure he heard her mutter something about 'probably hidin' under a bed'. The dark-skinned swordsman glanced down towards the Civilian roadway and his eyes widened.

"O-oi! Isn't that the Copy-nin?"

Karui gasped and they both alighted on the nearest rooftop to a large multi-story, white building close to the Hokage Tower. Omoi crouched and squinted as two figures fell from a third floor window, shards of glass raining down around them and glinting like crystals in the wan moonlight. There was a short struggle in the air, the other figure managing to push the legendary Sharingan no Kakashi beneath him just as they landed. There was a puff of smoke and the two Kumo elites realised that he'd been a clone.

The second figure lay motionless for a while, and Omoi could only wait with baited breath for something to happen. After a few agonisingly slow minutes, another three figures emerged from the same window, one holding a clearly unconscious bundle over his shoulder. The other gathered up the catatonic body on the floor and fled down the street almost immediately. Omoi scratched his head.

"Hey, you don't think they were...grave robbers or something, do you?"

He yelped and dodged the backhand aimed for his crown.

"O-OI! What was that for?!"

Karui shot him an incensed glare.

"What the hell would grave robbers be doing _outside_ of a graveyard you dimwit?!"

"Maybe they wanted to get the body before it was buried or something..." he grumbled. Karui sighed in annoyance and turned back to watching the scene. There was a commotion going on in that room, the lights had just snapped on and the drifting sound of hurried shouting could be heard even from their elevated vantage point.

"Think we should go in there and see what's happening?"

Karui snorted at his question.

"Yeah, and maybe get framed for something we didn't do. We're in foreign territory!"

They fell into an awkward silence, both unable to comprehend the events they'd just seen. Suddenly, everything went quiet and then a loud shout tore from the window, audible clearly to anyone in the immediate vicinity.

"...DON'T LET HIM IN HERE!"

Omoi shot his female counterpart a weird look.

"Wonder who that is..."

Karui inhaled sharply and gestured with a single hand for him to be silent. He looked back to find the teen they had been searching for drop to the ground and throw back his head. The eerie glint of moonlight caught his features and Omoi felt a shiver of apprehension run up his spine.

It was the face of a hardened killer. A veteran, someone who had seen everything they had and come out on top. _Far_ on top.

"OROCHIMARU! YOU _**WILL DIE!**_"

He said it with such ire, such passion, that Omoi couldn't help but fear for the infamous missing-nin. Whatever had happened in there, whatever had occurred to drive him to such lengths must have been bad enough for him to want to tear the man to pieces. But his eyes!

His eyes! Karui was shaking in suppressed...something beside him. They were glowing an unnatural blue, a shifting, chiasmic sapphire so deep and twisting. They were the true eyes, eyes that he'd often seen when looking in the mirror.

"Beautiful..." Karui breathed beside him. He shot her an exasperated look. Nudging her gently, he gained her attention.

"I don't think Raikage-Sama sent us here for you to admire him."

"S-Shut up Omoi!"

This time he was too slow to avoid the fist that slammed into the back of his head.

"OWWWWWWWW!"

Karui turned her back on him.

"H-Hey! Where are you goin'?!"

She shot him a meaningful look.

"I think we've seen enough for one night. Let's get back and report to Raikage-Sama."

Omoi frowned.

"But what if the brat disappears? We won't be able to find him if he does that! You've heard the rumours about the Cloud Rider haven't you?"

She ignored him and jumped away, her heels clicking softly every time she landed on another precipice. Omoi sighed and took one last glance back to find the street deserted. He turned and followed his teammate back to their hotel room.

XXXXXXX

The Raikage strode purposefully through the single door leading to the Hokage's office, his head bobbing to fit through. Why couldn't they make their doorways larger? Surely there were people in this country as large as him?

Grumbling under his breath, he moved through the threshold and sighted the old leader of Fire Country standing with his hands clasped behind his back, pipe between his teeth and his eyes directed out of the window. He didn't turn around immediately, choosing to address his speaker as he was.

"Raikage-Dono, it is a pleasure to meet you again."

The Raikage grunted softly.

"Likewise Sarutobi."

Hiruzen turned to him, a small puff of smoke rising from the hole in his pipe in the shape of a ring. He grinned a lopsided smile before taking his seat and steepling his hands before his eyes.

"So you have arrived for the Chuunin Exams. I trust the arrangements are comfortable?"

The huge northerner shifted his gaze away quickly; he hated the calm air of calculation that the wily Fire Country Leader seemed to exude from his very pores. And then his eyes; those dratted pools of grey that appeared to judge you like an open book. The Raikage wasn't one for boring politics most of the time, but the veteran opposite him was a completely different story.

Nicknamed 'The Professor', Sarutobi Hiruzen's fable spread far and wide. His vast library of Jutsu dwarfed only by his cunning and experience in the field. He had grown up the student of the first two Hokages, the famous Senju brothers, and had then gone on to participate in the last two Shinobi Wars, coming out alive and at the peak of his abilities. Adding to the long list of his laurels, he'd raised those monsters as his Genin team, the trio who later fought the equally infamous Salamander Hanzo and lived to tell the tale.

"They're...adequate," he replied.

"Excellent."

The Raikage hated all the back door dealings that modern day politics had been formed on. He wasn't one for subtlety and the claim to his name was his overbearing strength, unmatched by anyone by a large degree in Kaminari no Kuni.

"So what can I do for you?"

He stared obliquely.

"Weren't you the one who invited me in here?"

Sarutobi nodded sagely.

"Indeed I was. However, it was my opinion that you had something to discuss, as is the vibe I receive from you at this moment."

Damn that old wolf! It was like this was all a game to him!

"Listen Sarutobi, don't pretend to be the one with the upper hand here, because you most certainly aren't in a position to run this meeting!"

The Raikage growled internally at the single, white eyebrow that rose surreptitiously.

"Oh?"

He snarled, slamming a fist into the front of the table.

"Do you realise how close to war we came?! With tensions this high, anything could happen! There have been rumours of Kiri degenerating into civil war, Suna mobilising and that fool of a Tsuchikage even called me in for an alliance to attack your pathetic country!"

The venerable Hokage leaned back in his chair, a small mushroom of smoke coalescing above his head like a localised storm cloud. His eyes closed slowly as he inhaled deeply, his voice stretching in a dull baritone.

"I presume you are speaking about the incident two years ago with a Jounin team escorting a Konoha Civilian?"

Silence was his only answer.

"I hardly believe it wise to declare war over a childish prank."

The Raikage groaned.

"Try telling that to Iwa. Their council was going nuts over their newest redecoration. We would've been at odds right now if it wasn't for a...complication during the talks. One of my subordinates had an accident which almost had the Tsuchikage declaring war on Kumo instead. The dumb Chibi..."

Sarutobi chuckled.

"Ahhh, the infamous Sanken! I heard of that event! How exactly did they manage to 'explode' the top three floors of a hotel?"

Bee's brother regarded Fire Country's leader warily but didn't respond. He had to be guarded at all times in front of this man, his information network was so encompassing that hardly any event of note escaped him. Even now, he was dancing over the issue at hand, trying to have Hiruzen reveal his hand before he caught on. A small shiver, belying his girth, travelled up his spine as the old coot fixed him with a stern glance.

"What is it about Naruto-kun that you wish to know?"

He almost gasped. Almost.

Schooling his features after a momentary lapse which he was sure the old man caught, he stared back, unblinking.

"What makes you think I'm interested in him?"

Hiruzen threw back his head and laughed a rumbling laugh originating from his belly. The Raikage sat perplexed.

"Come now, Raikage-Dono! I am not so young as to fall for that! You are very interested in young Naruto, in fact, I'd be so bold as to claim that the only reason you changed your mind about coming was because you were curious about him!"

He blinked internally. What the flip? There was no point in pretences any longer it seemed, how did the Hokage know _that?!_

"Alright," he grunted, "if that's how you wanna play then fine."

He leaned forward casually, his large form casting a shadow to splay across the table in the flickering candle light.

"You were right, I am interested in him, and I did change my mind because of that. I wanna know what makes that kid tick. Why would he prank someone so powerful, knowing that they're a Kage? Why would someone like him take such a risk? I could have killed him if I was awake at the time; somehow he has some kind of technique that makes his Chakra undetectable to my senses, that's why I didn't catch him."

They paused for a moment, both lost within their respective thoughts. A curling tentacle of smoke tickled the northerner's nose as it drifted lazily towards the ceiling, the draperies appearing as if in a mirage in the candle light.

"By the way, is that Weed?"

Sarutobi sputtered indignantly, his mouth gaping and his eyes wide as he attempted to form a rebuttal.

"E-Excuse me?"

The Raikage swallowed his belch of humour before it could erupt and ruin the last vestige of formality between them.

"Forget I said anything. So yeah, about the Uzumaki gaki..."

Sarutobi's smile became soft, a sort of gleam entering his eye that the larger man couldn't quite decipher.

"Under normal circumstances, perhaps I would have told you exactly how he did it, however, I think he's entitled to a little privacy don't you think?"

The Raikage growled internally. That got him nowhere.

Sarutobi sighed wearily.

"He is an inquisitive child; so strong, yet so young and innocent. He does things without even meaning to, his actions clearly showing just where his allegiances lie, even if he speaks otherwise. He is a unique boy and I fully intend to protect him as much as possible."

Great. Now he was talking in riddles! He did catch the threat at the end of his spiel, the hardening another indication of just how serious he was when he said he would protect him. Finally, a sliver of humanity behind that guile and trickery. The Raikage laughed boisterously.

"Don't worry, we're not going to harm him. We're just interested, that's all. You don't mind us speaking to him do you?"

Sarutobi's eyes twinkled as he gazed at him.

"Oh, I don't think I can stop you from doing that. He's a Civilian after all. However, if you hurt him in anyway...

His stance hardened, his eyes balls of solid steel. The Raikage never broke his gaze as he spoke the end of his warning.

"Then we will have a war on our hands, won't we?"

The large man smirked. Was that a threat?

"And can I ask why he's so important to you that you would declare war over his body?"

Sarutobi replaced his pipe in his mouth having polished the bridge on his robes. He blew out a small puff of sparkling smoke before answering.

"Oh, a few things. His lineage, his importance to the Village and his position within it among others. I daresay the vast majority of Konoha would be up in arms against you should you injure him."

The Raikage's gut rumbled in mirth.

"You speak as if we cannot kill him!"

It was Sarutobi's turn to smirk.

"Well...that's to be seen isn't it? Although, in my opinion, and as I'm sure you'll find out the Village shares the sentiment, he can hold his own quite..._quite_ well."

That got his attention. He'd heard the gossip behind the young blonde's more...public feats but had placed them in little repute. The way the Sandaime Hokage had said that though...

Was it possible for him to have fought and survived Orochimaru more than three times? He found it hard to believe a child so young could do that. He looked up at the Hidden Leaf's Commander as he settled his pipe with a small click atop the surface of his polished mahogany desk.

"The hour draws late and I'm sure you'll want to get an early night after your long journey. No doubt you will be meeting with young Naruto tomorrow so I really do see no point in us continuing this conversation any longer."

Usually the Raikage would have been angered at such a blatant dismissal, but his mind was contemplating the slew of things he'd found out today. Nodding distantly, he stood, his large form a mountain in the normal sized room.

"Then I bid you good night."

XXXXXXXXX

The next day dawned bright and clear, the sun rising above the Hokage Mountain causing the Village Hidden in the Leaves to shine with a livelihood so bright that the very grass seemed to laugh. Senju Tsunade plodded robotically into Ward 18, the tails of her green jacket brushing the back of her knees annoyingly. It was six days till the final exam of the Chuunin Selection Process and she wanted to be out of here before then; chances are Sensei had already caught wind of her arrival and she was checking around corners at every opportunity so that she didn't have the luxury of running into him or one of his glorified messenger boys.

The staff at Konoha Central Hospital had practically allowed her free reign since she'd come. Her status was well known by them and having served as the Head Medic and Manager of the institution before, she had been treated as a VIP from the moment she'd stepped foot into its cleanly bleached halls.

Not that she cared since she was only here for Shisui.

Scrubbing the back of her hand across her sleepy eyes, she lethargically grabbed the clipboard beside the catatonic Uchiha's bed, flipping through the pages to see what they'd come up with so far. Everything seemed normal; blood pressure was fine, if a bit low due to lack of proper food, salt levels and Hb were optimum. His heart was beating and the blood test performed yesterday appeared negative for any drugs or malicious toxins. For all intents and purposes, he should be awake and sitting up right at that moment and yet he wasn't. He remained the pale, comatose patient, dead to the world.

Frowning, she replaced the report and initiated a diagnostic Jutsu to run an analysis herself. The injury he had received had severed the CNS between the sixth and seventh vertebrae and so, should he awake, he would be paralysed from the arms down. It was a career-ending injury for Shinobi but Tsunade couldn't bring herself to care.

She ran her hands over the length of his body, cataloguing everything and anything that may be causing his continued slumber. When she got to the source of the injury she scowled. Shoddy job, that, they should have severed the CNS completely before reattaching it to ensure that the strands weren't damaged themselves. She activated her Chakra Scalpel and set to work.

The operation was completed within an hour, his spine once again whole and healthy. She finished her final scan and stepped back, frustrated. Why was he still asleep? Were they feeding him something wrong?

She snatched the clipboard into her hand once again and rifled through the pages. He was on the obligatory saline drip, anaesthetic to dull any pain and his three liquid meals a day delivered intravenously. Everything was as normal as she remembered and yet...

Why was he still in a coma? It made no sense!

Deciding to cool her heels, she plodded out of the ward and towards a livelier sector. She didn't really want to be seen by the hopeless fanatics that made up the staff in this place. Every step, every action, every word was monitored as if it was gold to them. She considered the fact that it didn't really matter since they already knew who they were but it still got on her nerves! It was at times like these that she felt like punching something.

The real reason for her ire, however, was Shizune. Like Fish to Water, she'd taken up a sort of charitable job at the hospital and had begun helping as much as she could. She remembered that feeling from her youth; eager to simply do as much as you can to help, believing it was your duty, your role as someone blessed with the abilities of an Iryou-nin. She snorted belligerently; it was all about money these days, she was sure the higher-ups were delighted to have a free worker they could order around on their whim.

But Shizune couldn't get attached! How many times had she told her, warned her that should she get stuck too far in, she'd never be able to leave with her ex-tutor. Shizune was adamant that it wouldn't happen and that she'd follow her old master to hell and back if she had to but Tsunade wasn't stupid.

She could see the sisterly love in her eyes when she looked at Naruto. She caught the looks of joy and euphoria that stole onto her face after a particularly tricky surgery. Shizune was beginning to fall into the pit that would deprive her master of her company when she left.

She refused to acknowledge the small lump in her throat as she reached the mild injuries and overnight stay section of the building.

The standard, bleached-white walls morphed into colourful vistas, paintings of the grand landmarks scattered all over the World. Tsunade barely paid it any heed however; she'd seen most of them in person and no picture could deliver the same awe-inspiring emotion than that. There was sound of conversation, of laughter and cheer, her heart settled slightly though she was loathe to admit it. There was just a certain something in a recovering patient, a patient who, hours before, looked for all intents and purposes like the living dead. She despised that look, that phantasmagorical expression that haunted her dreams.

"...So the guy thinks he's all bad right? I was like 'hey you dumbo! If you don't freakin' sell me that I'm gonna explode your shop!"

The corners of her mouth twitched ever-so-slightly. Naruto. How he resembled his father, it was almost uncanny. A lone memory flashed up in her mind, the sight of the not-yet Yondaime Hokage hanging upside down from the Nidaime's nose on the Monument with nothing but a rope stopping him from falling.

She shook her head, her smile lingering on her face as Kakashi's snort of laughter cut through the air. She stepped up to the curtain around the Jounin's Ward bed and threw them aside.

"Alright Naruto, what gives? It's not visiting time yet!"

The look on the blonde's face almost made her laugh; he looked so young, almost his age at that moment, the look of childish shock overtaking his visage.

"Oh crap! I gotta go 'Kashi! Later man!"

And with that, he jumped from the second floor window, the nurse at the end of the Ward hollering for him to get back there that instant. Tsunade lifted a thin eyebrow, her gaze piercing the one-eyed Shinobi.

"Don't look at me. He came in on his own."

"I guessed that."

The Senju Matriarch moved to the side, her eyes passing over the diagnostic equipment that was meant to be attached to Kakashi. Everything seemed to be working fine...

"Hatake-san, can you tell me why you have the machinery hooked up to what of your ninken?"

Kakashi blanched. Crap! How could she notice?!

Bending down at the waist, she lifted the sheet covering the side of the bed and pulled the soft brown fur of one of the Jounin's summons.

"Pakkun, what the hell are you doing?!"

The dog looked up, eyes wide.

"Tsunade-hime! What a surprise! I didn't expect to-"

"Yes, you didn't. Now can you tell me why exactly you're eating a bone beneath a hospital bed?"

There was silence for a moment.

"See you later Kakashi."

Tsunade lunged for the mischievous mutt but only managed to catch smoke as the animal dispelled himself. Straightening, she glared at the Cyclops.

"No doubt, you're wondering how I could tell that you weren't connected to the ECG and other monitoring equipment. Number one, you hate them and you seem to forget that I was treating you since you were born. Number two, the blood pressure was far too low for a healthy human and number three..."

"Was it my face?"

Tsunade sighed. No matter how much he put up the 'cool, intelligent' front he was still the same little kid deep down. Maybe all the killing he'd done was to blame for it.

"No, you brat, it wasn't. I can't see half of it after all."

His single eye turned up into his infamous smile that annoyed her to no end. He was always like this, ever since he was born.

"Stop being cheeky. Now what antics is Naruto up to today?"

Her hand caught the side of his file and she pulled it in front of her to check his condition. Strictly speaking, she wasn't his physician, and yet for some reason she kept coming back to check on him. Maybe there were some familial affections remaining from her days in Konoha, she couldn't be sure. She almost hated herself for it.

"Well, apparently a certain grocery store refused to sell him something so he's going to...ah, 'explode it' I think was the term he used."

Tsunade giggled at that. Nothing was boring around the kid.

"How's Shisui?"

Tsunade turned a levelled stare on the one-eyed Jounin. Their eyes met solidly, Kakashi neither flinching nor showing weakness at hearing the state of one of his most precious friends.

Tsunade sighed.

"Honestly? I have no idea why he hasn't woken up yet. I repaired the amateur job the hospital staff did on him. It almost looked like he was taken to a civilian A&E."

Kakashi frowned.

"He was. There aren't any Shinobi hospitals in Nami."

Tsunade finished rifling through his medical report, replacing it gently in the wire holder at the side of his bed.

"At any rate, the Medics here should have fixed it right away, but it looks like they didn't even bother operating on his spine when he got here."

Kakashi looked out the window, his eyes distant for a moment. It was sad to see him like this; the once proud teenager who thought he could take on the world and win. He'd truly grown up in her eyes.

"His vitals check out. His diet is fine and there's no indication of any sort of drug in his system at this time."

He turned back to her, his gaze sombre.

"Genjutsu?"

She shook her head. There was no sign of a Chakra construct around his mind or senses for that matter. Genjutsu was out of the question.

"Sometimes the answers lie in a place we never think to check. Look underneath the underneath."

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow.

"Seems like you're spouting philosophy now. Don't tell me the grey hair's not just for show."

He ignored her comment and they descended into an uncomfortable silence, the drone of the other patients lost to their thoughts.

"That's not what I meant. Maybe you should be checking the things that seem natural, but aren't. That's what Rin used to do."

Tsunade smiled softly.

Rin.

She turned and walked slowly towards the exit. When she glanced back, Kakashi was still peering sightlessly through the pane of glass at the far end of the room.

At least he was fine, better than she had expected actually. Maybe something good did come out of returning to her home village.

XXXXXXX

Samui was angry.

Ok, not so much angry as exasperated. Why'd she have to chase after a kid first thing in the morning? It totally ruined her mood from the relaxing soak she took at the hot springs the night before. Fir Country's Onsen truly were legendary.

Navigating the cobbled streets of Konoha in the middle of the day was an exercise in futility. The Chuunin Exams had attracted a far larger crowd than would be usually seen and the roads were packed with people. There were bright colours everywhere, stall owners shouting their goods to rile up their audience, street performers on every corner. It was like a festival, and in many ways it probably was.

How ironic that they were celebrating for a bunch of up and coming assassins.

She caught the flash of yellowy gold through the crowd, her black hair swishing as she focused on her target. Uzumaki Naruto, a mystery of mysteries if ever she saw one. A child no older than 13, and yet he could rival the best of them. Her body began to tingle, a feeling of euphoria rising in her chest. How strong was he really? Was he truly an unmatched swordsman? It was almost unbelievable that someone so brash and loud could be so formidable. But she wasn't stupid enough to deny the rumours; he'd walked into Kumo right under their noses.

She increased her pace, slinking through the throngs of shoppers and revelry lining the streets. The hubbub was great, the roar of the crowds merging with the sound of the rickety horse-drawn carriages rolling over the cobblestones. Pennants fluttered idly in the slight breeze far above her head, lines extending and joining the rooftops in a vibrant display of decoration. She hurried through, her heart speeding up as it always did before a chase or a battle. Her left hand instinctively fingered her Katana, her mind zipping through tactics and movements in seconds.

She froze.

'_No...no way!'_

He'd simply disappeared. His Chakra signature had spurted out. Had someone killed him? Was he being targeted? She found that hard to believe. Had he somehow found out that she was following him?

She glanced around quickly. That was highly unlikely. In a hidden village as big as Konoha, it would be very difficult to keep track of a single Chakra source amid the thousands of civilian and Shinobi people moving around. She was used to these operations and Naruto's Chakra pool was large, even for a Jounin, so she didn't have that much difficulty in doing so. She was under no such constraint however. Naruto, on his home turf, had nothing to fear and so it would be highly unusual for him to suppress his Chakra signature. Samui was a different story and it seemed impossible for the Uzumaki brat to have sensed her underlying movement.

Then there was an explosion.

Her neck snapped around so fast as she dropped into a crouch. What the hell?! Who would attack at this time of day?! Konoha no less!

She broke into a crouching run, her lithe form slipping through the now screaming civilians, pandemonium breaking out immediately. She drew up beside a parallel building, a fruit store at its base. She ducked into an adjacent alleyway just as another blast tore through the air. Her eye caught the centre; glass flew out from a small grocery store opposite her, the owner cowering with his arms held protectively over his head.

Three more explosions drew her attention back to the shop, simultaneously knocking over a couple of shelves unsupported by the walls. It was at this point Samui noticed something strange; the explosions weren't really doing much damage. They'd blown out the windows, sure, but apart from knocking stuff to the floor, it wasn't really destroying anything. The windows were most likely a casualty of audio resonance rather than force from the blast. She looked up and gasped.

Explosive notes scrunched into balls and primed with Chakra were being pelted down from the rooftops. A sinking sensation dawned in her gut. She'd heard he was prone to bouts of troublemaking but this...

This was ludicrous!

Multiple booms sounded as more of the projectiles collided with the shop. A stray tomato splatted on her right cheek and she grimaced, wiping the juice from her skin and then onto her neoprene pants. A small dribble ran into the corner of her mouth.

'_Mmmm, sweet.'_

She shook herself. What the hell was going on here?!

"NEXT TIME YOU REFUSE TO SELL ME STUFF, I'M GONNA BLOW YOUR PLACE SKY HIGH! GOT IT OLD MAN?!"

She looked up to catch the blonde Uzumaki standing with the sun framed behind his head, his finger pointed dramatically at the grocer's head. The manager was visibly crying, whether from humiliation or fear, she couldn't tell. At his words, the street had calmed down and a few of the brave bystanders were chuckling.

"That's Naruto for you, eh?"

She glanced sideways to find the fruit store owner picking up a few stray vegetables that had been thrown into the doorway of his shop.

"Nothing like the next Hokage blowing stuff up haha!"

She frowned.

"He does this regularly?"

The man jumped, his wispy gray hair bouncing comically atop his head.

"Oh sorry missy, didn't see ya' there haha! Yeah, young Uzu always tears into the people who do 'im wrong haha!"

She clicked a heel. This guy was too carefree, always laughing like some idiot.

"And...you people let him?"

He looked at her like she was mad.

"O' Course we do! Young 'un's gonna be the next 'okage ya know haha! There was a time when we'd all kick 'im out and stuff. But then the li'le blighter began fightin' back haha! Took the World by storm we 'ear haha!"

Samui nodded. It was almost incomprehensible, but it seemed as if the civilian population loved the Cloud Rider just as much as the Ninja one. Nodding her thanks she stepped out of alley, looking back briefly to catch the bright red apple the man threw at her. He winked, a goofy grin spread over his features. She waved lazily before taking to the rooftops with the grace of a cheetah.

Konoha was confusing. It seemed as if the non-Shinobi population were treated marginally the same as the Ninja side. News wasn't withheld from them, different maybe but at least they knew of the truths that occurred all over the world. They even took pride in things that their military had done that others would be horrified at. Other Shinobi countries worked totally different. Kumo, for instance, kept their governance and logistics totally separate to the commonwealth; it was a move seen as a wise decision from the Shodai Raikage.

She didn't know when Naruto had dropped off her map once again, but by the time she did, she was far away from the market district. She'd made her way to the living area, a sea of houses and apartments stretching as far as the eye could see. Gray pipes, rusted through age, criss-crossed the streets, roofs and side-walks, the odd patch of metal gleaming in the sunlight. The area was cool and shaded, a vastly different experience to the precinct she'd recently been in. Her eyes flashed over the environs, stretching her Chakra senses to their limits.

She was totally unprepared for the sunny head that dropped upside down into her vision. Startled, Samui fell back onto her behind unceremoniously.

"Yo nee-chan! Why you followin' me?"

Samui gaped.

"B-blunt, aren't you?"

He cackled gleefully, his body swaying back and forth slowly. Her eyes trailed up his hanging body to find his legs hooked over a horizontal drainage pipe connecting two buildings together.

"I always wanted to do this to someone! All vampire like!"

Samui couldn't help but stare.

"Err...kid, can you...come down now?"

His eyes startled her as they zipped back to hers, his smile becoming wide.

"Oh sorry! Hehe!"

Landing with a light thump, the blond enigma dropped from his vantage point, his knees bending like springs.

"So...why were you followin' me?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, his expression mildly interested.

"Umm yeah, sure."

Samui crossed her legs slowly, picking up her apple and tucking it gently into her weapons pouch.

"How did you know I was following you?"

Naruto giggled.

"Ah c'mon nee-chan! You stick out like a sore thumb! Nobody wears black here unless somebody died or they're Shinobi! And I always check for Shinobi!"

Samui groaned as Naruto scratched his cheek innocently. So he was the paranoid type, characteristics of a veteran.

"Ok, but that doesn't explain how you were able to pick my Chakra signature from the entire crowd. And how did you disappear like that anyway?"

Naruto laughed lightly. He tapped his nose to show that is was his secret and Samui almost felt like slamming her head into the wall. He was like a typical kid; he acted nothing like someone who had seen the harsh realities of the Ninja world. And yet there was a certain sharpness behind it all, an underlying focus that drove all his actions. It definitely showed that he'd had some serious training in the past.

"At least tell me if it was the same thing you did in Kumo when you were there!"

Naruto's eyes went wide.

"Ahhhh! That's why I remember you! I knew I recognised you, I knew it! You were there that time weren't ya nee-chan?!"

"Yes, yes I was. When you painted the Raikage's face that is." She commented dryly. Naruto laughed boisterously.

"Ah c'mon! It was a joke! A prank! S'not like I was tryna kill him or anything."

Samui shook her head. He was incorrigible.

"It's not that you didn't, it's the fact that you _could have_."

"Hahahaha! That was years ago! I did worse stuff in other places anyway!"

"Like turning Iwa into a paint museum?"

Naruto paused before chuckling.

"Heheh, you heard about that too...hehehe..."

"I don't think there's a Shinobi out there who hasn't..."

Naruto plumped down in front of her, mirroring her seating position as best as he could. It was harder for him with his Ryu-Zashi attached to his back, but he faced her all the same. She nodded at the hilts poking over his shoulders.

"You use those blades?"

It was like a light bulb turned on in his eyes. If she'd thought he was energetic before, this was a whole new level. He whipped them from his shoulders in his excitement, the tips whistling just below her nose as he placed them on the ground.

"Whoa whoa! Hey chill! You could've taken my head off there!"

"Sorry sorry!"

Her exasperation melted as her eyes landed on the pair of dragon swords. The edges gleamed in the sunlight with a lustrous glow akin to the greatest works of art to have blessed to weapon smiths of old. They were like legendary armaments, her practiced eye searching every edge of the pair of Wakizashi.

"These are...these are special swords..."

Naruto laughed.

"You think so too huh? Whenever I use 'em, it's like they're a part of me ya know?"

Samui nodded distantly, her mind captivated by the twin Sapphire dragons etched into the metal. It didn't look as if they had been painted on, rather it almost seemed that the dragons were made as part of the sword. No technique had she heard that could do something along those lines. The pair was too exquisite to be of some amateur's work. She could hardly believe that someone would actually use them in battle; if it was her, she'd probably covet them so much that she'd hang them up on her wall just to look at every day!

He replaced them in their sheaths, the edges ringing as they scraped the side of the covers.

"Anyway, I gotta go train, see? Nice meetin' ya nee-chan!"

As he hopped away, she shook off the haze on her mind.

"Wait! Naruto!"

He paused on a house not too far away.

"The name's Samui!"

He smiled radiantly, raising a hand in farewell before proceeding on his way. In that moment, her heart lifted slightly. He was a good kid, a light heart, a big smile and cheeky to boot.

Samui pondered these latest developments. Maybe their stay in Konoha would be a bit more interesting than she thought.

XXXXXXX

"Sooooo...."

Karui nodded.

"But...challenging Orochimaru?!"

Karui nodded again.

"Blowing up a grocery store?!"

Samui nodded too.

"This is the first time I've seen you two in sync."

They both nodded again.

"BWAHAHAHAHA-"

The Raikage found himself eating dirt. His team grumbled as their leader flipped back to his feet as if two fists had not knocked him down seconds before. He brushed some stray soil from his cloak.

"I think I'm gonna like this kid."

They watched him zoom from one side of the training ground to the other, only to collide headfirst with a tree. There was a sickening crunch and the half of his body flopping limply as it protruded from the impromptu hole his head had made.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt! He musta smashed his head there and that means he squashed his brain so he must be dead!"

An audible slap rang through the clearing.

"Shutit Omoi! You're going to jinx us again!"

"T-touch wood?"

Samui sighed as usual.

"That's enough you two, keep the married couple argument for later."

The Raikage shushed them before Karui could explode at her captain's comment. He stood slowly.

"Yugito, you think he's dead?"

The Nibi container shook her head.

"Under normal circumstances, his neck would have broken. However, Youkai Chakra is concentrated over the area of the wound so I think it's safe to conclude that he's very much alive."

The Raikage raised a large hand to stroke his beard.

"Oh? And is there any sign that he's the one controlling it?"

Yugito frowned.

"It doesn't look like that's the case. If he's truly unconscious when the Chakra kicked in, it's most probably self-controlled as is mine."

"Great assessment! Alright people, let's go see what the brat is made of!"

The group moved to stand in front of the tree, the blond giving no indication that he knew they were there.

Omoi poked him in the butt.

"Err...Yugito, you sure he's still alve?"

"Fuuton: Kire!"

A solid arc of wind shot from the hole in the tree, the behemoth groaning as it fell sideways, buffeting the onlookers with ferocious winds and a hail of splinters. The Kumo six stared on, unblinking as Naruto stood working out the kinks in his shoulders.

"Oh! Nee-chan! What you doin' here? And who're these guys?"

"Did he...did he just blow up a tree?"

"Cut, Omoi, cut."

"Same thing Taicho."

Bee stepped forward, a devilish smile on his face.

"Yo Uzumaki! Welcome to the posse! We the guys from Kumogakure!"

Naruto found himself not knowing quite how to react to such a...unique introduction.

"Okay."

Bee gaped. He'd been beaten, beaten down with a single word! This could not be happening! His pride....his honour as a celebrated rapper of Kaminari no Kuni was at stake! He could not let this go! No, it was an insult, mockery of epic proportions!

"You think you're so coo', but yo' naught but a Fuu~!"

Naruto grinned. That sounded good!

"Hehe, is Fuu like some kinda amazin' Shinobi? 'Cause I am that, see?"

"......"

Everyone but Bee looked on in embarrassment.

"Umm...was it something I said?"

The Raikage waved a hand.

"Don't worry kid, my bro is always like that. He's a bit touched in the head."

They turned as one to see him weeping, collapsed at the base of a tree, his head down and a solitary arm gripping the bark. They turned back to each other.

"So you're the infamous Cloud Rider?"

Naruto nodded brightly.

"Yup!"

"And you painted my face?"

He giggled.

"Hahaha! Yup!"

The Raikage drew his fist back into a mighty punch. Naruto stood his ground defiantly.

"You gonna punch me?"

They stared into each other's eyes.

"Go ahead. I suppose I deserve it for pulling that kinda thing."

It was a deadlock, and they remained motionless for a few minutes.

"Umm...you don't mind me askin' but...are you gonna punch me or are we gonna stand like this all day?"

The Raikage frowned and lowered his fist as he heard coughing that sounded suspiciously like laughter behind him.

"What made you do it? A prank? You threatened one of the mightiest Shinobi in the whole world, a Kage no less, over a prank?"

Naruto laughed nervously, his arm springing up behind his neck to rub his nape unconsciously.

"See, I was told you were a bad guy! I thought you were this big jerk right? So me and my friend decided to see if we can make you look all stupid and stuff in a prank ahahaha!"

The group stared.

And stared.

And stared.

"He's nuts."

"Totally off his rocker."

"His friend's crazy too."

"They are a crew, their heads full of poo!"

Slam!

Everyone ignored the smoking heap that was Killer Bee.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! A prank! Seriously, a prank! We thought it was a joke and he really only did it for a prank!"

The clearing was silent as the group had no way of identifying whether their Kage was going to go on a rampage or not. He was unpredictable like that. Samui readied herself; she'd probably have to jump in should something like that happen. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bee watching his older brother intently with a single eye under his fallen form.

"I like you brat! You're crazy, but you've got the balls to live up to it! You should come live in Kumo sometime!"

Naruto's uncertainty turned into pure happiness.

"You...you mean that? I heard you were a really nasty guy! You're not so bad after all!"

"Of course I'm not!" The Raikage threw a tree-like arm over the teenager's shoulders. "I'd like to know who said that about me though!"

XXXXXXX

Anko woke up sweating that night. Something very bad had happened. She could feel it.

ZZZZZZZZZ

OMAKE: SARUTOBI VS DANZO?!

XXXXXXX

Hashirama's eye twitched.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"Yuss!"

"You're only doing this to annoy me, aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

The First Hokage lowered his head into his hands. Why, oh why was he cursed with such a demonic younger brother?!

"YOU WANNA FIGHT PUNK?!"

"BRING IT ON DUMBO!"

"WHAT WAS THAT APE FREAK?!"

"YOU HAVEN'T GOT CRAP FOR BRAINS NOOB!"

"Would you two calm down please?"

"SHUT UP HOMURA!"

The Senju's leader raised his head to focus on the youths invading his office. Danzo and Hiruzen stood facing each other, both almost at each other's throat. Sarutobi's two teammates, Homura and Koharu were appropriately cowed by the far wall. The group was topped off by his brother off to the side, a look spread across his face that reminded him of a Hyena before a meal.

"...huh, ok you two, get this over with as quickly as possible and then get out of my office. No blades and no techniques. Fists only, got it?"

They barely heard him as Danzo immediately leapt at the younger boy immediately. Sarutobi stopped, reached into his pocket, whipped out a shining metal spoon, dodged to the side, tripped his opponent smartly and then jammed the round eating utensil solidly into his behind in one fluid movement.

The room fell silent. A stray thought flitted through the Hokage's strangely blank mind.

'_Danzo's probably as shocked as we are...'_

And then the howling began.

"Well crap," Tobirama muttered. "I think we just found our Sandaime, neh Aniki?"

XXXXXXXX

And cut!

Not much to say!

Chapter Notes:

Fuuton: Kire – Wind Release: Slice, this Jutsu generates a small sickle shaped blade of wind that can cut through most surfaces. It is one of the most widely used Wind moves due to its small Chakra requirement and devastating effect.

Soo enjoy! And do tell me what you think!


	47. What's it going to be?

So...it's been a while. I know, I know, a lot of people thought I'd abandoned this for some reason when I expressly stated that I would not do so.

So to assuage all your worries, here's a chapter right in the middle of exam leave. Rejoice, oh lucky ones! I reiterate that I shall not drop this until I see it through to the end, since I hate reading unfinished stories that I really like!

Today's Fanfic Rec is Ethan Darkcrow's NDB! This was one of the most awesome stories back in the day, and since then has begun an ambitious re-write. It was epic, with great characterisation and excellent plot and dialogue. I wish the whole thing had been put back up by now!

As for Review Highlights....I'm really sorry for not being able to put anything up. I've just been so busy with uni work that I haven't had time to go through all the reviews and tell you which ones would inspire me in this BIG gap. Rest assured, I read all of my reviews even if I don't respond regularly these days. And for God's sake, please don't _**demand**_ an update; it only demolishes my enthusiasm to write through all the work I have on my plate.

So here you have it. Chapter 47.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Where are you going?"

Uchiha Madara glanced back, the single, solitary form of Konan wreathed in shadows at the far end of the cave facing him. He smiled thinly; she was totally under Pain's thumb, a worthless pawn.

"I never realised my actions were anything to do with you."

She watched him for a time, her eyes unblinking, shining in the surrounding blackness.

"I think, Uchiha-san, I would like to know the answer to that question as well."

The Surviving Uchiha Patriarch turned to the ferocious storm at the mouth of the cave, his black cloak billowing around him.

"Into the storm."

He strode out, two pairs of eyes watching his departure from their hideout in Ame.

XXXXXXXX

Kakashi was released from the hospital a few days before the Chuunin Exam Finals. The day had been a cool one, almost as if it were the calm before a storm. When he'd exited the entrance with its fancy sliding doors, he'd taken a moment to gaze up at the blue Konoha sky. His mind was distant, his eyes unfocused. What he and his friends had been forced to cope with the past week and a half was nothing short of hell.

He felt emotionally drained as if his soul were being sucked from him with antagonising slowness. And through it all, he remembered what he had been doing before this whole episode had began.

"_A Weapon smith? Yeah, I know a Weapon smith! Learnt from the best!"_

Naruto's smiling face swam into focus before becoming a bright spot in his vision as he looked away from the sun. He had needed to get it repaired.

A couple of miles away, a certain bun-haired Kunoichi had just finished the finishing touches on the repair. The sheath would have to be shortened because some of the shards were missing, but overall she gave herself a pat on the back for a job well done. Her hands swept over the gleaming metal once more, Chakra smoothing the surface one final time before she nodded to herself. As she turned away from her handiwork, she failed to notice the bleached-white dragon that seemingly appeared from nowhere on the face of the blade. As the image completed itself, one final touch was added; a shockingly silver dot was placed in the centre of the circle left for it. A dot that appeared to be the same colour as the metal it was on and yet somehow stood out from it.

Tenten didn't notice any of this, and even if she had, she wouldn't understand the significance of it. Her mind was entirely focused on her blond friend's predicament. It seemed as though he was always dealt the raw end of the deal with all the stuff that came up in his life. And then this?

She shook her head exasperatedly. To think she'd only made it worse.

She sighed whimsically, her heart thumping painfully in her chest. She realised now how hard her mentor's death had affected her, tearing her world from under her once again. As she flipped the 'closed' sign to 'open' on the front door to the Higurashi Weapon Store, she wondered at just how fragile a person's life could be. Family. Home. A job or occupation. Everything could disappear in an instant and the one affected would be left staring after it with nothing but a grasping hand, struggling to cease even a thread of worth in the barren world it was forced to bear.

'_Huh. I'm thinking like some eighty-year-old woman now.'_

She settled herself behind the counter at the back of the store, eyes that were meant to be eagerly awaiting the first customers of the day, instead unfocused in the general direction of a Katana rack. Of all the thoughts that spoke volumes of the worry and depression she was suffering, one stood at the forefront; one that she knew she had struggled to push to the back of her mind recently.

Just how long, how long could Naruto hold onto his sanity?

XXXXXXXX

Jiraiya inhaled a deep, clear breath, the Summer breeze wafting up his nostrils like a particularly fragrant perfume. He was back in his element, and it seemed he'd actually missed it this time. Silently hopping between two low hanging bushes, he crept through the leaves to spy out the area. Finding the clearing empty, he signalled with his right hand to the rest of his team hiding in the foliage above.

Almost immediately, five figures appeared in front of him; a more varied gang of Shinobi you'd never find. Naruto stood to his right, his inquisitive eyes roving over the environment with a brief expression of expectation flitting across his face every few seconds.

Jiraiya grinned internally; the brat was itching for a fight.

Next to him, stood his purple-haired, female counterpart. Anko, seemed to be enjoying the edge of her Kunai she was currently tasting with the point of her tongue.

'_Why oh why did Sensei have to put me up with a crazy nut like her?!'_

His gaze fell on his only-sane ex-teammate. She frowned at him before turning to spread out a Chakra net as she always did. Tsunade was anything if not efficient.

The next two were the odd-balls of the group, and both female. Shizune stood beside the tall, yet graceful form of Uzuki Yuugao clothed in full ANBU uniform and her Taka mask sitting snugly over her face.

"OK guys, here's the deal. The Old Man received a tip off from one of his informants at 0300 hours four days ago. It seems like Orochimaru really plans to attack this place. Seems like he has some advanced summoning teams stationed outside the wall. So here we are."

He gestured widely to the open expanse of greenery around them, the shock of grass bathed in the golden glow of sunlight as if the area was to be untouched. Naruto grinned mischievously; Oh, what he wouldn't give to run that _perfect, perfect_ grass over just for the hell of it...

"Our mission is to eliminate all the threats out here. Feel free to use lethal force at your discretion, but make sure you follow your team leader's instructions. From here on out, we're splitting into two teams. Are there any questions so far?"

He glanced around to find the team in a variety of states of discordance. Fine by him, he'd take that as a no.

"I'll be leading the first team with Naruto and Tsunade. Taka will lead the second with Anko and Shizune. We're currently just north of the Main Gate, so we'll each take an opposite direction and circle around till we meet back up behind the Hokage Mountain. Yes Yuugi-chan, what is it?"

After a hissed "don't call me that while I'm on duty!" She pulled out a scroll and placed it flat on the ground. Everyone bent forward to look at the map depicted on its surface apart from Tsunade who kept her security net up to watch for intruders.

"Jiraiya-sama...that sounds wrong in this context, we need codenames."

Anko grinned as the metaphorical lightbulb went up over Naruto's head. _'Please let it be Emo and Budgie again...'_

"Team Gama and Team Budgie!"

Everyone froze.

"U-Uzumaki-san I don't think that-"

"It makes sense doesn't it?!" He was almost jumping up and down now, Anko noted happily.

"Yeah, YEAH! See, Ero-Sennin summons toads right? So that's why it's Gama!"

"Ohh! I see! Like Gamma huh? That's pretty cool 'Ruto!"

Cue four dim stares directed her way. At least they knew she was doing it on purpose.

"And Budgie 'cause...'cause I like Budgies ya' know?!"

"Umm, Yuugi-chan? You're going to be dehydrated if you cry so much."

Yuugao ignored Anko but turned away. Anko grinned at the _'it'smymaskit'smymask'_ that apparently came from her mouth.

"...you're not going to let this go, are you gaki?"

"Nope!" He chirped.

Jiraiya sighed. "Fine. Team Gama and Team Budgie it is-"

'_SCORE!'_ Anko thought.

"-So the way points are here and here," Yuugao punched her finger across the neat map, her digit tapping two points about halfway between the main gate and the back of the Hokage Mountain. "Hokage-Sama believes that if we're going to find a covert-ops team from Oto lurking around, they will be in a place where the foliage is thickest. Having said that, we don't know how many they are, nor what their actual intent is, so as a mission, this is an operational disaster."

Jiraiya nodded and took the lead from her.

"Exactly. This is a Code Red operation. Move soft, move fast, and most of all, don't die. We scatter on three, and we meet up at the end of the hour. Everyone understood?"

There was a general round of "Hais" and Jiraiya wondered for the hundredth time what the wisdom behind sending the blond bundle of energy out now was.

"-two, THREE! Move!"

The six split up, rapidly covering ground with their heads down and Chakra senses strained to their maximum. Tsunade snapped her net Jutsu off and fell back to cover their backs.

"Naruto, I know you've been on missions before but search and destroy is notorious for being a long operation. We're the two heavy hitters in terms of Jutsu, so I'll stay on point and Tsunade will cover our backs. When we go in, you'll hit from the middle and I'll go from the top. Tsunade will stay back as the medic and try and snipe some off with weapons until things get heavy."

Naruto nodded, distracted. Jiraiya's eyes lingered on his whiskered face for a moment before returning to his surroundings, his mind in its own world.

"_What?"_

"_You heard me Jiraiya-kun; keep him out of the Village for as long as it takes. When the fighting gets rough, we need him there as the beacon of hope if something happens to me..."_

Jiraiya frowned briefly before leaping off another branch and continuing towards their objective.

XXXXXXXX

Kakashi fingered the hilt of his newly-restored weapon with a sort of anxious anticipation. His eyes were flitting around the arena endlessly every few moments and it annoyed him to no end that he was acting like a newly minted Jounin on his first mission. He was calmer than this damnit!

He couldn't be blamed, he mused, since it was Orochimaru lurking around with unknown elements as allies. It was too risky to take a subdued approach to the situation as it was; they couldn't be caught pants-down at such a critical time.

Kakashi, Gai and the other Jounin Sensei were gathered around their team members who had not made it to the Chuunin finals on the east side of the stadium. Having participated in the exam, the students were granted the second best seats after the VIP booth. Of course, the three Kage in attendance had the best view, even better than the VIPs. Kakashi was slightly surprised to find that the Raikage had actually turned up, his looming form looking far too big for the chair he currently resided on.

Lee, Tenten, Sai and Shikamaru were clustered in their own huddle down in the stadium, no doubt discussing tactics before their respective matches. Sasuke stood a little to the side, his gaze firmly fixed on the startling graphite of the bandage-wrapped Oto-Genin, Dosu, who was accompanied by his other finalist team mate Tsuchi Kin. Kankuro had a firm hand placed on his little brother's shoulder, preventing him from doing something or other to one of the contestants besides them. Kankuro began to sweat as he noticed the red-head glance in the proctor's direction, a slightly insane glint entering his eyes.

Kakashi giggled quietly, causing everyone around him to stare at him as if he'd grown a second head as Gaara surreptitiously waved his right hand dropping a small amount of sand into Gekkou Hayate's pants. Hayate frowned and scratched his behind causing the adults in the next booth over to groan and cover their eyes in shame. This only heightened Kakashi's mirth however, yet his eyes never broke from their sweep across the grounds.

"12."

Asuma nodded, throwing a significant glance to Kurenai who had her back and the sole of one boot to the wall. Gai surprised everyone by sitting down abruptly.

Kakashi ignored the antics of his comrades, his attention straying from the audience to sharpen on the proctor who had begun the pre-contest pep talk, his words filtering up to the stands.

"As I explained previously-"

He took this moment to cough and Kakashi silently cursed the swordsman's chronic illness for ruining his mental preparation.

"Sorry. As I said, the tournament will consist of one-on-one matches, no holds barred. The only time a match is over is when I call it, does everyone understand?"

He took this moment to frown a scratch his behind once again causing the Genin to either laugh or look revolted. They responded affirmatively to his question nonetheless.

"Ok, take a look at the match-up sheet; Nara Shikamaru gets an automatic by and qualifies for the second round already. Everyone note who they are up against and then clear out of the arena for the first match of Uchiha Sasuke against Rock Lee."

Lee let out a determined shout at this expression, his eyes alight with the fire of his determination and anticipation at facing the so-called Uchiha Prodigy. Kakashi didn't manage to get a glimpse at the structure since his Sharingan was uncovered, so he resigned himself to waiting until the matches were called.

A couple of minutes passed and the final contestant had joined the others up in their reserved area. Shikamaru was so lazy. Kakashi didn't realise the hypocrisy of his own thoughts. He glanced resignedly down at the centre of the arena where Sasuke was apparently attempting to stare a hole through his Taijutsu-specialised opponent. Hayate waved up towards the Kage booth and the whole arena went silent as the venerable Hokage rose to stand in front of his balcony. Spreading his hands wide, he began to talk, a Jutsu enhancing his voice for all to hear.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, we thank you for joining us on this auspicious day! Truly to see the latest children graduating from their youth is a most glorious sight!"

Kakashi and co. groaned as Gai leapt to his feet mimicking his words, but the rest of the audience laughed as the wily old leader pretended to wipe an imaginary tear from beneath his eye.

"And so we begin, the first of the bi-annual Chuunin Selection Exams, held here at the centre of Konohagakure! Please do enjoy it, and for the lower levels of the audience, please watch out for stray attacks!"

Sweeping his hands widely he announced,

"Let the Exam begin!"

And it was that cue that signalled the beginning of the end.

XXXXXXXX

"I think they're finally out of range."

Tsunade nodded at her old team mate's words.

"It's not surprising, we've gone about four miles since then. If we assume that they were travelling at the same speed, it means that we're about two and a half-miles apart."

"Exactly half way then?"

Tsunade nodded.

"What'cha talkin' about?"

Tsunade smacked her fellow blond upside the head.

"Owie! What the hell was that for Baa-chan?!"

He flinched away as another slap whistled by his nose.

"I told you not to call me that! And why the hell do you care brat?! Do you even know anything about the maths behind a circle?"

"Of course I do!"

Tsunade was thrown at the immediate reply for a moment then.

"Oh? So what's two-pi-arr then?"

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded wisely.

"That's those things right? The one's they light fires on when people die? They're round too aren't they?"

Jiraiya broke into a fit of laughter. A tick appeared on Tsunade's brow.

"That a pyre, A PYRE! Not Pi-arr!"

"Errrr....you just said the same thing twice."

Tsunade threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Ok, kiddies, break time's over. We need to focus."

Tsunade soed through handseals for her Chakra net, the soft swish of the Jutsu activating almost sounding like the wind ruffling their clothes. Jiraiya frowned briefly as a slight glint of uncertainty flitted over his female counterparts features.

"What's up Hime?"

She didn't answer for a couple of seconds leading the Gama-Sennin to believe that it was something worth delving into. She hadn't even lashed out at the nickname. She opened her mouth as if to answer but then closed it again in indecision.

"Spit it out Tsunade! What's worrying you?"

Tsunade glanced at him uncertainly.

"Look, I'm not sure what it is either, but you said that according to Sarutobi's info, they were aiming to attack the gates right?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Yeah, so?"

The blonde shook her head slightly.

"It's just that....we're entering the lower forest now and I was thinking it'd be odd to have the summoning teams this far out since it'd take a while to get to the front from here..."

Jiraiya's brow furrowed; she had a point.

"What do you think?"

Tsunade paused, her chocolate eyes unmoving from the Toad-Summoner's face.

"Either they're onto us already, or they're suicidal."

Jiraiya didn't waste a second. He slammed a palm into Tsunade's back and dropped to the floor as she tumbled next to him.

"NARUTO! GET THE HELL BACK HERE!"

A loud boom sounded through the trees from the direction of the Village, the forest floor reverberating as if in the throes of a particularly violent earthquake. Trees swayed dangerously, a whirlwind of leaves scattering above their heads as the residing birds squawked in indignation, launching themselves into the air to escape from the ensuing chaos. Jiraiya touched a finger to Tsunade's back, their old signal for one of their attack patterns. Sealing quickly, he disappeared like a Gecko against the colours of the forest.

Tsunade, exhaled slowly, inching towards a small cluster of foliage speckled with crimson berries. She settled herself into the depths of the bush, spreading her Chakra net to its limit and waiting with bated breath.

She was worried about Naruto. The blond kid was as hyper as a Hyena with a sugar-high, even though she knew he was more than reliable in a fight. Having spread out so far, they couldn't expect Yuugao's team to back them up anytime soon unless they had already thought of the same thing after the explosion went off.

The explosion was weird too. It had come from the direction of the village, which meant it wasn't outside. Had Orochimaru been planning to attack from within all along? It seemed her old Sensei had anticipated this result, since he'd wanted Naruto out of the Village.

She concentrated, her hands thrumming with Chakra as her net pulsed in the air around her. Usually she spread her net out so thinly that it was hard to detect, but this time she wanted the Oto idiots to think they had been found out and were about to be attacked.

Her net twinged and she zeroed in on the source immediately.

"Two, four-o-clock."

Her whisper was so quiet, she was afraid it wouldn't be picked up by the microphone taped to her neck. Her worries were set to ease as the trees to her right lit up in an inferno of fire.

XXXXXXXXX

When Jiraiya had shouted, Naruto had immediately engaged his invisibility Jutsu and his bastardised version of the Chakra beacon. The air became awash in the heavy feeling of his Chakra, but he wasn't stupid this time. Itachi's words in Nami no Kuni had been chasing him in the rear of his mind. He knew it was imperfect, he knew that a seasoned Shinobi could find him by the locus of the beacon, and s he set out to rectify it.

It was time to pounce.

He'd come up with a fix he hoped would work. Itachi had literally beat into him that it was due to his beacon being so uniform that an outsider could tell where the centre was. This meant he needed to make it non-uniform. But there was a severe limitation to it: the user would have to have some crazy Chakra control to be able to extend his influence in every direction. It was hard enough regulating it into a circle!

But there was a riskier way around this. He'd have to stay on the move while raising and lowering his Chakra levels, in effect making it much harder for someone to pin-point his location when the most they'd have to go on is a single moment when his Chakra levels were high enough to identify. That too it was difficult to differentiate the centre of a torrent of Chakra in the first place, but Naruto inwardly reflected that it truly had become a 'beacon' by this point!

He slipped through the trees like a ghost, his mind sharp and his gaze roving his environment like a hungry leopard. He caught a flash of grey movement that disappeared too quickly for him to concentrate on, but it was then that he heard Tsunade's whisper.

He jumped, high and fast, dropping his Jutsu as he sealed for a Karyuu Endan. The world burst into flames as the tongue of fire roasted a hole through a succession of trees, a limp body of a charred Sound Jounin falling to the ground with a thump. He stared at it.

Something wasn't quite right.

"Jiraiya! Naruto! We've got trouble incoming!"

He barely had time to swing around. Two large thumps sounded, throwing wood pines and dirt into the air, a mushroom of dust throwing itself around him as if he were in the midst of a vicious sandstorm. He closed his eyes, attempting to curl into a ball as he was pelted with all sorts of projectiles. When he dared to sneak a glance, his eyes widened at the simply huge behemoth leering down at him.

"A Snake with three heads..." He muttered faintly.

It lunged.

He barely had time to move before someone had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him to the ground.

"Naruto! What the hell are you doing?!"

Naruto rolled and landed awkwardly, his eyes sighting the dead bodies of two Oto-Jounin, one with a Kunai through the skull and the other looking as if someone had left a particularly stinky sock by his nose all night.

Seriously, he was that green.

Jiraiya hopped next to him as he took off, his hand tapping his wireless received shakily.

"Baa-chan, we're pulling back to OP Saru."

A hissed reply met them, and they only just managed to avoid a three-pronged assault from behind. Naruto pivoted as he jumped from the next branch, the tree exploding as it was hit by three sets of fangs. Jiraiya finished his handseals just as Naruto's Rasengan finished forming.

"Gufuu Suika no Jutsu!"

A typhoon of Wind, Water and Chakra slammed into the three-headed snake, throwing it back a pace. Godson and Godfather, turned and pelted as fast as they could towards the one-third point, classified waypoint Saru. Tsunade dropped down from the trees in front of them, joining up as they tore through the foliage uncaring of the noise and tracks they left in their wake.

"What the hell was that?!" Tsunade asked breathlessly.

"That," Naruto quipped, "Was a freaking HUMONGOUS Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya laughed, but continued to speed onwards.

"It must've taken them a couple of hours and a whole lot of manpower to summon something like that. It was as big as Bunta!"

Naruto bit his lip.

"Hey, but we can summon Gama-ji on his own. Why would they need so many people?"

Tsunade glanced back worriedly as more of the forest toppled behind them.

"It's getting closer J-chan."

Jiraiya almost cracked a smile at the battle name he hadn't heard in almost 20 years.

"Naruto, most people don't have the Chakra reserves that we do. Just think of it that we're special."

"That's really nice but WATCH OUT!"

Jiraiya slipped and fell as Naruto and Tsunade hastily jumped to another tree, the one they had been about to punce off of having been sliced into a neat set of six by six, two-metre long, glistening white fangs.

"The Wall! THE WALL!"

Naruto tumbled sideways, springing up and running clumsily towards the sand-brick wall of the Village that had appeared to their right. If they could only get there, the Jounin on duty would be able to help.

It was then that the situation went from bad, to out of control.

The purple, undulating body of the snake turned to face Naruto alone. Tsunade screamed and Jiraiya had disappeared into the greenery he had rolled into. The snake shot towards its target, barely missing the patch of blond that thrust pure Wind Chakra into his back and threw himself forward at the speed of a bullet. There was a loud crack, a booming sound and the world went silent.

The snake had slammed, three-heads first, into Konoha's outer wall.

A whole section had crumbled beneath its weight leaving a trench dug into the huge structure. Naruto dizzily got to his feet, his eyes feeling as if they were spinning in their sockets. That move had been on a whim, he'd practised it these last few weeks, but he'd previously ended up stuck in a tree. It was incomplete, trying to bolster his movement by controlling it directly with wind, and he knew it was dangerous to try, but he'd had no choice.

"Crap, that thing is obese!"

Someone coughed raggedly beside him and his head snapped around to find Jiraiya pushing himself up from a tangle of ferns.

"Ero-Sennin, you ok?"

Jiraiya nodded, tapping his wireless receiver.

"Hime, status!"

She replied quickly.

"Right behind you."

They all relaxed.

"Anybody hurt? Naruto, what the hell did you do to avoid that?! I've never seen someone move that fast," _besides Minato, _he thought.

"I've been trying out a new move for a while now, trying to extend the Air Pads to the rest of the body so I can speed up my movement."

Jiraiya was flabbergasted. He was doing it, just as his father did it before him. Was this a joke, or was fate that cruel of a concept? Naruto was on the road to learning the Hiraishin already, the technique that had shaken the world to its very roots when it had appeared sixteen years in the past.

"Anyway, we have to do something about that snake. Its support will probably be tuning up at this point."

It was only then that they began to notice the state of the Village through the gap that had been made in the Wall. Civilians were being shepherded down the streets as buildings randomly exploded, throwing chunks of brick and mortar outwardly across the streets. Children were wailing, Women screaming, Men shouting; and through the cacophony of noise came the sound of battle, or fire roaring, running water, the fizz of electricity and the dull booms of earth colliding with solid objects. There was a faint whine in the distance and the three looked up to find the Konoha Water Tower groan on its hinges before toppling over sideways as its metal supports were rent asunder in a nail-biting screech of bending steel. The whole structure exploded as a combined wind and electric technique clipped the side as it was thrown into the air, the container exploding in a rainbow of water as the mid-morning sun flashed over the torrent of water released from its inside.

"Ero-Sennin, I'll handle the snake, you two get out of here and do something else!"

The two swung on him.

"WHAT?! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL YOU CAN TAKE THAT THING BY YOURSELF!"

Naruto huffed indignantly.

"Did you forget our battle?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock.

"...Are you saying you can pull that off again?"

"JIRAIYA! YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY BE THINKING OF ALLOW-"

He raised his hand.

"Naruto?"

The blond nodded. Jiraiya closed his eyes.

"Tsunade, we're leaving."

"Jiraiya, you can't ju-"

He pointed in front of her nose. Her gaze was drawn in the direction of the opposite side of the Village where a far larger hole had been torn into the Wall by what looked to be a huge turtle.

"A..A Turtle...."

She started.

"Iwa."

"Exactly."

Naruto glanced between them before taking off towards the huge snake that was shaking its three heads from the thundering impact with a brick wall. Naruto zipped under its coiling body, leaping bodily for an intact section of the massive structure and began to lope up the wall vertically, he'd completed the first set of seals he needed, the very same Jutsu he had been taught by Kakashi so many months ago when things were normal and peaceful in his life.

It was time to bring down a summon.

"Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"

An impossibly large sickle of wind tore through the air, the very molecules of which were cut by the sheer power thrown behind the technique. It blossomed forth as Naruto slashed with his arm, shooting at the snake, revolving dangerously and it zoomed towards its target. The tangible sword of Wind blossomed throughout the serpent's body as it collided, the air rent with its furious screams. A waterfall of blood flew from the gaping wound cut across the length of its body, splattering down like some unholy rain shower.

Naruto wasted no time capitalising on the beast's pain. He had to be quick if he wanted to trap it for the finishing blow. He almost slipped up the last handseal in the second of the summon-destroying trio, but managed to correct it just in time.

"Raiton: Shichuu Shibari!"

He slammed his palms into the base of the wall as he made it to the top, his damp hair fluttering limply in the wind and roar from the bedlam around him. The ground shook as four earth-pillars rose to surround the screaming snake. The serpent looked up confusingly, its eyes rolling in pain at the wound that had been drilled into its flesh. But that was nothing to the pain it felt a moment later.

Electricity discharged with a stinging zap, the oxygen fizzling as it was ionised by the insane current that flowed into the three-heads, the sets of eyes rolling madly as it quivered from the volts conducting through its body and into the ground. Sounds of battle began to die around the area as the shocked combatants turned to stare at the unbelievable scene of a barely-teenage boy utterly defeating a summon more than thirty-five times his size.

The snake collapsed into a quivering mess of smoking purple skin, its heads slamming into the ground in a dead faint.

Naruto grinned; it wasn't dead just yet.

As they raced towards the other side of the Village, Jiraiya and Tsunade screeched to a halt as the monstrous snake was brought to its figurative knees before the diminutive blond.

"I-Impossible..."

Jiraiya laughed, his spirits rising.

"Damn! The Gaki actually did it! Hahahahaha! Ibiki, did you see that? HUH?! That was my student!"

The addressed T&I head landed smartly atop the rooftop they had paused on.

"...he just brought down a summon."

"Yep."

"And you taught him this?"

"Nope."

"And the- WHAT?! You didn't teach him that?! How the hell does he know ANBU-Team special techniques?!"

Jiraiya shrugged.

"...You've raised a monster."

Jiraiya grinned.

"Let's go Hime!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Doton: Otoshi Buta!"

A monstrous mud pot materialised in the sky, overturned, and dropped with a thunderous boom over the heads of the three-headed snake, crumbling as it struck the ground. Normally, the final technique in the ANBU movement would result in the summon being sealed, but Naruto had no such intention.

He was going to kill it.

With a gurgling, hissing scream, the snake dispelled itself, thoroughly beaten and most probably dead. Naruto screamed in victory, his fist raised to the heavens. Flipping down from the wall, he landed cat-like and took off towards the stadium at the centre of Konoha where the Chuunin Exam Final was taking place. He passed an Oto and Konoha Shinobi standing gobsmacked at the crater cut into the ground from Naruto's previous attack. The trained civilian chucked a Kunai smartly into the Sound Chuunin's head, calling out to the Konoha Shinobi.

"Oy! Get a move on before someone kills you!"

Naruto smiled as the guy looked visibly startled and then turned to find his enemy in a pool of blood and brains at his feet.

Naruto took to the rooftops and it was only then that he understood the extent of the battle that had broken out in the Village.

It was a warzone. The ground was torn up as if a bulldozer had recently gone out of control and smashed its way haphazardly through the streets and buildings with no distinction. Bodies and limbs were all over the place, some of the people they belonged to either dead, or very close to it.

And blood. Blood was everywhere.

Naruto had to control the urge to wretch right there and then. The situation dragged up too many bad memories that haunted him from the past. He'd sworn to let it go, he'd sworn to become stronger so that he could forget all those terrible things he had been forced to endure.

He'd sworn to escape from it.

He cried out as the roof beneath him crumpled from some sort of impact. The chimney at the far end was ripped from its place, a whole piece of brickwork going with it as it fell to the floor. He tried to shout in warning at a Genin who foolishly chose that time to run from his hiding place in an alley, but was too late as the structure collapsed over his head.

Naruto crouched, sticking himself to the crumbling roof as it fell inwards, his Ryu-zashi already out and slicing through anything that came near him. An explosive note detonated somewhere in the house below him and the whole building began to topple.

It was only his quick senses and adrenaline that saved him. The occupants of the house had a gas boiler somewhere in its depths, and it chose this moment to explode. The force of the heat threw everything outwards, like a particularly brutal supernova. Naruto bent at the waist, slammed his Wakizashi into the stone and whipped his Airboard from his back as quickly as he could. Ripping his blades from the ground, he threw himself onto the Airboard and kicked it upwards as the seals activated. He covered his head with his arms as a chunk of the wall smashed into his side. Everything was screeching around him, the windows were being torn from their positions, the glass shattering and raining down around him. The furniture was toppling and crashing, breaking into individual parts and then snapping further in a hellish catastrophe.

Naruto shot from the collapsing building, his head bleeding, his sides throbbing and his senses screaming at him to run as far away as he can. This was a war, a place he could not hope to rest in. Everytime he stopped for so much as a breath, something else would happen and he'd be forced to avoid it.

Ironically, a smoke bomb pellet landed on the side of the building he had been skirting, a cloud of smoke obscuring his view and causing him to inhale the blackened gas. He coughed roughly, his tongue dry and acrid as the taste of burning and death permeated his nostrils.

'_Kunai?!'_

He barely avoided it, a storm of steel that bit into the wall mere centimetres from his flying from. He escaped from the cloud, the smoke dragging at his body as it attempted to ensnare him once again in its clutches. Naruto spun himself around, the world a blur from the fast motion. The stream that crossed the Village lay before him, its surface riddled with fighting Shinobi and the 'plink, plink' of weaponry as they sank to its depths. Naruto banked hard to the side as a brace of Shuriken almost shot through his neck, and it was then that he remembered his seals.

His seals. He'd left them all over the Village to play large-scale pranks on the Ninja. The Konoha Shinobi would be used to it if he set it off now and it'd grant them a much needed advantage over their adversaries.

He activated them.

Across the entire Village Wall, pink seals lit up in a bright ensemble. The stream began to hiss and boil as the heat seals he'd left scratched into their floors sprang to life. A deluge of pink jelly sprang up around the entire Village, causing the fighting Shinobi to shout out in surprise. Whoever fell, got stuck within its gelatinous mass, and whoever managed to adapt the Water-Walking exercise, found themselves stuck to its surface and unable to move.

Kotetsu and Izumo were two of these Shinobi. They immediately recognised the tell-tale signs of the seals for what they were and hollered at their counterparts in the area. The Konoha forces immediately began to change tactics, regrouping and sniping off the enemies who had fallen prey to the seals, whilst dispatching teams to hunt down the ones who didn't and save the Konoha Shinobi who succumbed as well.

Naruto cursed as he avoided another aerial Jutsu, this time a fireball that almost burnt his Airboard to ash. He'd had enough. He'd really had enough. This was insane, and he didn't even want to protect the Village anyway! Why should he have to exert himself for the very place that shunned and hated him as a child? He wanted no part in this.

But then he remembered his friends, Kakashi, Tenten and everyone else he'd come to meet over the years. They were all in the thick of it, in the stadium he suspected the centre of this whole fiasco had originated.

And Jiji. Jiji was there too.

It was then that everything clicked. Sending him out of the Village for no apparent reason. Offering him the Hokage position out of the blue. The constant annoyance and persuasion; it was all because of this.

Sarutobi knew this was going to happen, he knew he was going to die.

A sudden pain rose in Naruto's chest, so biting that he nearly lost control of his Airboard. Jiji thought he was going to die, and he...

He...

The only thing he'd said to him the last few days...

He couldn't let it end like this. He had to save him, had to save the one who'd sheltered him, who'd taught him and protected him when he was small. No matter how conniving he'd been, getting Naruto stuck in things he wanted no part of, ruining his innocence and forcing him to do desperate things at every turn in the road that was his life, he was the closest thing he had to family.

He couldn't die.

With growing worry, a need to confirm the safety of someone he never knew he cared for so deeply, Naruto shot off towards the stadium, his Chakra levels so blisteringly high that he left a trail of glimmering Sapphire in his path.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

AND THAT'S A WRAP!

Whew, what an adventure eh? I was totally envisioning MW2 for that scene in the Village because it needed to be a realistic war scene. But meh...tell me what you think neh?

Jutsu List:

Kazekiri - Wind Cutter

Character Use: Unnamed ANBU  
Rank: Unknown  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack

Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. A large slicing wind will then be created which can cut through his opponent. This can be used to immobilize large summons. This will be the initial attack in an elemental trio used by the ANBU. It will be followed by Raiton: Shichuu Shibari to stun and trap the target and finally Doton: Otoshi Buta to imprison the summon in a gigantic sealed pot.

Shichuu Shibari - Four Pillar Binding

Character Use: Unnamed ANBU  
Rank: Unknown  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack, Supplementary

Raiton: Shichuu Shibari is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Lightning Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. Four large earthen pillars will rise to surround the target summon. Lightning will then be unleashed to stun the target. It is the second technique in the summon destroying trio.

Otoshi Buta – Covering Lid

Character Use: Unnamed ANBU  
Rank: Unknown  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
Type: Attack, Supplementary

Doton: Otoshi Buta is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. A large earthen pot will then fall from the sky to cover and contain the target summon. A powerful enough summon will be able to overturn the pot and escape. This will be the final attack in an elemental trio used by the ANBU. First will be Fuuton • Kazekiri to cut and immobilize the target. Then Raiton • Shichuu Shibari is used to stun and trap the target. Finally Otoshi Buta is called forth to imprison the target.

Gufuu Suika – Typhoon Water Vortex Technique

Character Use: Uzumaki Naruto + Yamato  
Rank: B  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
Type: Attack, Defense

Gufuu Suika no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique using both the Wind and Water Elements. This technique is a combo jutsu used by Yamato and Naruto combing two of their elemental attacks. Yamato will use Hahonryuu, a Water attack, and Naruto will use his Wind Rasengan. Combined together they form a swirling typhoon attack, capable of repelling a strong Fire and Wind attack.


	48. Chapter 48

Greetings one and all. I'll be quick since you're all dying for the chapter!

Fanfic Recs go to two of the best 'Immortal Naruto' Stories ever authored on this site. The first is 'All Is Relative Except the Stubborness of a Demon' by Uncle Stojil and the second is 'Bound to Eternity' by Valakun. Both have different takes on the same thing and I enjoyed them immensely. I hope you will too!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I was unable to answer some due to my exams, which have now finished thankfully, but I did read them all!

And finally, I'm totally chuffed to announce that 'Konoha: Naruto's Playground' has made it onto the Fanfiction Recommendations page of TVTropes! They described it as 'comedy gold'! I've always wanted to be on that list, to be up there with the all-time greats, and it seems I've done it! I've also received an amazing drawing of Gaara putting sand down Hayate's pants, by the Lovely Lainana, link in my profile! AAAAAAAAAAND the KNP forums are running a vote for the best Naruto FanFic in the humour category based on request, so be sure to check out the thread in the forums, link in my profile!

Now on with the chapter, which is dedicated to Jolteonforever for being the best reader to grace this fic with her elegant presence!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ANBU teams were anything if not efficient. Many had pondered what is was about them that allowed such a large hidden Village such as Konoha to rely upon them so greatly for the safety and security of their citizens; they were fully-trained assassins after all, not the most ideal choice for protection if one would consider it logically from afar. Yet even the civilians would attest to their efficiency and strength to get the job done.

The history of the ANBU was not as straightforward as one would think. Although many Villages had followed suit and set up their own similar squads, the origins were shrouded in mystery. Not many knew that the founders actually began with only one squad of the strongest ninja available at the time; a squad of Kage-level Shinobi that had earned their laurels through countless battles, gaining them the ability of adaptation to even the harshest of conditions. These were warriors who could change tactics on the fly and still come out on top. These were Shinobi who were at the peak of their profession.

As the years swirled into one, the ANBU grew larger and larger, the need for a greater number of operatives working in separate fields in order to better serve the needs of an increasing population density in a given area taking preference over the absolute quality that used to be the hallmark of an ANBU agent. Standards dropped to the point where the administration decided to set some guidelines as to who could be accepted and who couldn't. The need for extermination of external threats became a mainstay when the first A-Class Nuke-nin went rogue, and so the Oi-nin squadron, the masked hunters who specialised only in information gathering and assassination, was formed.

The main block, however, branched out into 7 squads, each one led by its own capable captain. The Captains were all under the ANBU Commander-General, aptly referred to as the ANBU Sou-Taichou. The Commander General answered to the Hokage, and the Hokage alone. He was the one enigmatic figure rarely even seen in the Village, his role to oversee everything to do with the elites of the Shinobi ranks, his presence barely detectable even when he would stand right in front of a person.

The seven Captains were some of the strongest ninja of the day and age; notable figures being that of the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi. These were individuals tempered in war, forged from the bloodshed of others, and so experienced as to fulfil the legacy of their forbearers.

Uzuki Yuugao was not a Captain. Codenamed Taka, she was swift, capable and lithe as her name suggested. She was a swordswoman of the highest calibre, a tactician of enormous skill, and she had had her fair share of compromising objectives. She was prepared for almost anything, even as she sped through undergrowth, her head down and her arms tucked neatly to her sides.

That is, except for the appearance of a humongous semi-amphibious creature that could flatten her with its pinky toe alone.

"COVER!"

The three teammates hit the floor immediately, a rumbling explosion shaking the ground as if in the midst of a particularly violent earthquake. It was then that the trio realised that they were not, in fact, the summon's target.

Konoha's first line of defence, The Great Wall, was.

It was amazing, she reflected, how a twenty-inch barrier of pure sandstone could be punched through like card with the appropriate amount of force.

"Yuugao! We gotta move! We can't stay here!" Anko rolled to avoid a falling tree that almost crushed her legs.

"I know!"

She urgently tapped her com-set, attempting to locate team Gama on the other side of the Village but she got nothing but the double-beep signalling that they were out of range. Pressing the button once more, she transmitted to only her team.

"Shizune, Anko, switch your headsets to global broadcast. Seems like Sandaime-Sama was correct about the attack. We're going to link up with the rest of ANBU and see if we can pull off a counter-attack."

Anko sounded off before disappearing towards the Village. Shizune's voice filtered through as another few explosions went off, this time at the other end of the Village.

"Looks like they've breached the West side too. I'm going to hook up with Tsunade-Sama. She's probably going for the hospital right now."

Yuugao breathed in deeply, edging forward to broach the clump of bushes that obstructed her view of the wall.

"Ok, go for it. I'll link up with my squad and see what we can do about that summon-"

"NYAHAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT YOU DAMNED TORTOISE! THE GREAT JIRAIYA-SAMA SHALL STOMP ALL OVER YOUR BODY AND SEND YOU HOME IN A FISH-BAG!"

'_...Maybe that won't be needed.'_

"DAMN YOU JIRAIYA! IT'S A TERRAPIN, **NOT A TURTLE!**"

Yuugao swung around to see a lone Iwa-nin standing atop the overturned gargantuan that had just hit the dirt. He had a rather bulbous face, his nose resembling that of a potato and his beady eyes glaring fiercely through the slits that appeared to be his eyelids. The most telling feature however, was his large cloak depicting the Kanji of 'Snort' upon it.

"...This is ANBU team 3, repeat ANBU team 3. Leave Hadouken Jimmy to Jiraiya-Sama."

"I WILL KILL YOU AND TAKE YOUR FILTHY TEAMMATE WITH ME THIS TIME!"

"BRING IT, SNORTFACE YOU DUMB ADDICT!"

Yuugao groaned; the same guy who lost to Tsunade during the last war when she kicked him in his privates. It was the ultimate insult, she hadn't even used a Jutsu, she'd simply kicked him and walked away, leaving him a snivelling wreck upon the ground behind her. It was the most anti-climactic battle in the history of Shinobi warfare and had become something of a legend within the ranks of Konoha.

But this meant Stone Country was attacking as well. How this happened, and what the significance of such a move meant to international relations were up to the respective Daimyo. Right now, she needed to focus on protecting her Village.

Resolving herself, she took off from her position, her finger held to her ear as she hurriedly reported in and requested orders. She just hoped Naruto was safe over there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Stadium was a mess. The Raikage and Kazekage gazed dispassionately into the arena as wide-scale fighting broke out all over the place. It seemed that Sound had forgone the use of stealth, favouring brute force to achieve their objective and in the Raikage's opinion, it was probably the better option. He grinned as the Chuunin hopefuls scattered, no doubt attempting to link up with their respective sensei and find out what they could do to help.

So far, the Kage box was relatively quiet; anybody stupid enough to approach was taken down swiftly by the elite guards stationed around them. The Raikage had his entire entourage with him, the Kazekage his two bodyguards, and the Hokage seemingly no-one. However, the Raikage wasn't stupid enough to fall for that; Old Hiruzen had some extremely capable Shinobi stationed by him if he couldn't even detect them. He had been wondering for a while how the wily monkey could sit and watch as full-scale war broke out in the centre of his very own Village without doing anything.

Finally, he turned to them, a grave look on his face.

"Kazekage-dono, Raikage-dono, I'm sure there is no need to explain the situation to you at this point. So the question must be asked: Will you provide us with your aid?"

The Raikage remained silent, his eyes fixed upon his Wind Country Counterpart. Finally, the silent man spoke up.

"I would prefer, Hokage-dono, that I could assess the situation a while longer. I do not prefer that I, nor my Shinobi, become involved in a battle that would mean our loss."

'_Coward,'_ the Raikage thought. He despised Sand; they'd always been like that. Always waiting to see what would benefit them the most before moving. He scowled internally; there was no reason to fight, true, but innocent lives would no doubt be lost in such a situation, and Wind was supposed to be Fire's ally!

Hiruzen turned to him.

"And you Raikage-dono?"

He shrugged.

Sarutobi sighed heavily. He stood slowly, his aged frame appearing regal as he shed his billowing cloak to reveal himself clad in full Shinobi attire.

"I cannot wait any longer. I must assist my people. I would hope that you would join this battle at some point in our assistance. How else would peace be reached?"

He strode to the edge of the balcony, his hands deftly forming practised seals. With a mighty flare of Chakra, the King of Monkeys was summoned to his side.

"Enma, it is time."

The primate's lips lifted in a hideous scowl.

"Good. I have been waiting for this moment Saru," He growled. The two disappeared in a burst of speed.

The Raikage groaned as he arose from his chair, what a disaster. He'd only come here to possibly recruit the blond bumblehead and now he was stuck in a war. His hand flashed out and smashed into a corpse that was thrown towards him from below, a shuriken buried deep in the man's right eye.

"Samui, take your team with Yugito and see if you can find Naruto. Bee, you're with me."

Without so much as a sound, his Shinobi disappeared to fulfil his commands. The Raikage's eyes swept the balcony one last time, his eyes catching those of the Kazekage and holding his gaze. Sand's leader stared back icily, his face cloth fluttering slightly.

"Your actions confuse me Raikage-dono."

He snorted.

"Stay confused."

And with that, he leapt from the balcony, thundering into the arena, his eyes set on the large flare of power erupting from near the Hokage tower.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

An idyllic Village, a place so beautiful with its shining sun and copious forests lush with the most exotically coloured sprouts that even the most hardened veteran could feel at peace there. That was Konoha, the Village of Leaves, and Naruto wondered vaguely how it was possible to transform such a fantastic paradise into a battleground.

Of course, he pondered, a couple of bombs here and there, a whole load of people killing each other, and screaming and shouting so loud that you could hear it from the opposite side of the place could do that to Konoha. He swerved quickly to the side as a telecom pole exploded in a shower of electricity and smoke, shrapnel of what was once a modern satellite dish ricocheting noisily against its frame, smoke rising to envelop the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki like a mushroom of poison. He clapped a hand to his mouth and nose, speeding on his Airboard as fast as it would allow.

Which, incidentally, was quite fast.

With an audible boom, he tore from the grey gas like a torpedo, his eyes alighting on the roof of the Hokage Tower where a dark purple cube of pure energy had sprung up like some sort of mobile prison. He'd been meaning to reach the Stadium and try to help out there but something told him that this new development was far worth his attention than anything else.

And this time, he hated being correct.

Jumping from the streamlined slice of wood, he landed fluidly atop the building, right behind three ANBU operatives who were staring anxiously into the purple barrier. The box was quite see-through, given its colour, and Naruto's eyes widened when he sighted the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha facing none other than the Snake of the Sannin himself.

Orochimaru had arrived.

Naruto strode forward, drawing the attention of the trio of elite Shinobi as he passed them. One was covered in a black cloak as opposed to the usual magnolia, his mask devoid of any pattern to identify his codename. The blond Jinchuuriki knew that this was one ninja who he wouldn't like to fight.

"U-Uzumaki! What are you doing here? Civilians were supposed to be evacuated ten minutes ago!"

The ANBU to the right of the black-caped Shinobi quietened as his Captain threw an arm out to stem his tirade. Naruto stopped at a corner of the barrier and peered in.

"Oi girly, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Tayuya thought herself one of Orochimaru's most loyal followers. Sure, she mouthed off on occasion, but that was because her teammates were so damned annoying. But when she sighted none other than Uzumaki Naruto himself, the cause of her current....paint-predicament, she saw red.

Much swearing followed.

"Listen blood-head, I don't give a flip about how the hell you managed to have a bad makeover. You're gonna tell me what the hell you're doing, and you're gonna tell me right now."

Tayuya cocked an eyebrow; what an arrogant piece of crap.

"And how, you Goddamn chibi, do you expect me to be scared when you're on the _outside _of the barrier?"

Naruto grinned and Tayuya almost wet herself. That was one bloodthirsty grin, even for her standards. His eyes stretched up, the whites clearly visible, stress lines congregating around his blue iris. There were shadows under his eyes as if he'd expended a large amount of Chakra recently, and his mouth had curled so wide that the slightly too-pointed canines, almost beastlike, curved over his lower lip.

"'Cause if you don't, I'm gonna tear it down and blow you to hell."

She shivered. She knew the rumours of course. She heard all about the blond prankmaster when he'd wreaked havoc in Sound like a miniature Tsunami. But that was just a string of pranks, albeit on a much larger scale than a 'prank' usually would be. Sure, a section of the base had collapsed and the majority of the Oto Shinobi had been incapacitated for weeks, but that was more likely due to her master's rage than because of the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki.

She found herself second-guessing her information at this point; he'd said that as if he truly believed that he could tear her limb-from-limb in cold blood, and smile whilst in the process.

"I ain't tellin' you poo, you little punk. Go back home to your nursery now, the big baddies might hurt ya!"

If possible, his grin got even wider.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jiraiya was having a lot of fun. Hadouken Jimmy was not at all what his name suggested, he definitely did not have a demonic fist by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it was almost pathetic just how bad the quality of Stone Country's Shinobi had deteriorated.

Or maybe, he'd gotten a lot stronger than he'd thought.

The Terrapin summon was defeated quite easily. Gamabunta literally stomped the fraudulent tortoise into the ground with a sharp webbed foot. Jimmy was forced to turn tail and run in what would be known as another typical showing of the infamous Iwa-Jounin. But he had more important things to do than wait around.

He'd made quick work of the surrounding Shinobi after that; he hadn't even needed sage mode. These were all small-fry, and chances are he knew exactly where the real opponents were. After witnessing a strange, voluminous, jelly-like substance (translucent-pink to boot!) spring up all around the wall and begin trapping anyone who set foot on it, he left the area to Morino Ibiki and the two ANBU squads that had been assigned to the sector. He didn't doubt even for a second whose fault the ensuing panic was attributed to.

Only Naruto could cause complete and utter pandemonium.

He was slightly surprised how fast the Konoha Shinobi adapted to the situation. Pleasingly, it seemed as if Naruto's sustained comical torture of the Village's inhabitants had led to a more flexible garrison of warriors than ever before. Chances are Naruto hadn't planned for that.

He had the tactical capacity of a teaspoon outside of a fight.

Chuckling at his thoughts, he grinned as an ANBU Captain screamed into his mic that one of the 'blond devil's' traps had been set and to make sure you regulate Chakra to your feet before stepping on it. Ingenious. Almost as if he'd succumbed to this very prank before....

"DON'T ASK WHY! I'VE FALLEN INTO THAT...STUFF WHEN HE RIGGED THE HQ CHANGING ROOMS! JUST LISTEN DAMNIT!"

Ah. That explained it. A Captain losing his cool? Not very cool at all. Not cool like Jiraiya-Sama, the sage of Mount Myobokuzan anyway.

Needless to say, the Oto and Iwa Shinobi were losing very quickly at this point. They had no idea what the gelatinous mass even was, and they were quickly sucked into its depths as soon as they touched it.

That would have been one hell of an amusing prank if it'd been pulled off outside of a war.

As he turned to head towards the Hokage Tower, sensing a large fluctuation of Chakra, he faintly heard a discarded radio crackling on the ground ahead of a pile of rubble that was once most probably someone's veranda.

"...ERSE! I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT SIR! THE RIVER JUST SUDDENLY STARTED BOILING! _BOILING!_ IT'S LIKE A KETTLE! WE STAYED BACK, BUT WE HAVE A WHOLE BATTALION OF ENEMIES DYING HERE!"

Well...that one could've been dangerous. The Gama-Sennin wondered how long it'd taken his student to dig seals into the riverbed all over the Village. It was harming the idiots though so he wasn't too worried. The opponents on the outskirts of the Village were totally dealt with thanks to Naruto's...timely intervention.

The wind whistled in his ears as he hopped from roof-to-roof, heading for the centre of the Village. Nobody was stupid enough to pick a fight with him, his red cloak and fluttering white hair enough to identify him as one of the Sannin in a heartbeat. His mind turned to his female teammate as he made quick time to his next objective.

Tsunade would keep the hospital safe. To be honest, he felt they should just be thankful that she was even helping out around here. The trauma of her past was enough to cow even the most vicious of people. The fact that she was fighting was in no small way due to Naruto.

He was beginning to think Naruto practically ran this Village by now. Seriously, he had a hand in almost everything going on, and he didn't even know it! No wonder Sarutobi was so eager to make him Hokage.

His thoughts died as he landed on the roof of the centrepiece of the Village.

Naruto was there, and he was _angry_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get back."

Samui stared as she landed silently on the roof behind the blond Jinchuuriki. He'd just ordered the ANBU, _the ANBU!, _to retreat.

She was even more shocked when they listened after a swift glance from the black-cloaked guy. They tensed when their eyes met, Samui nodding ever so slightly causing the obvious ANBU Captain to relax slightly. She noticed in that instant that he'd finished a set of seals single-handedly, and had a Chokuto grasped in his left under his cloak.

That guy was _good._

They all turned when Jiraiya of the Sannin landed silently in their midst.

"Sou-Taicho-san, a repost if you may?"

The black-cloak inclined his head slightly as if to affirm that he had indeed heard the question. When he spoke, his voice was so soft that Samui was unable to get a true grasp on the agent's gender. She'd assumed he was male, but now she wasn't so sure.

"A Quartet of Sound Shinobi have trapped Hokage-Sama within a Chakra barrier. It appears to be the Shishi Enjin and we have been unable to penetrate it. Uzumaki-san seems to have an idea."

All eyes were drawn to the diminuitive blond as his blue eyes glinted maliciously.

"Last chance, buttface. You open that up or you die."

Tayuya looked shaken, but she bit her paint encrusted lip and looked away.

"Suit yourself."

He reached slowly into one of his chest pockets and pulled out a couple of...coins?

'_He wouldn't...'_

Jiraiya was quickly proven wrong. The last few moments of the dirty-mouthed redhead were ones she couldn't even begin to comprehend. After threatening her with such malice, the kid had taken out some money. What was he going to do? Throw it at her or something? Didn't he know that the Shishi Enjin was so hot that anything that touched it was immediately burned to a crisp?

But he didn't throw it, oh no, he balanced it on his forefinger and thumb before flicking it deftly into the air. Tayuya distantly pondered that when it landed, it'd be over very quickly.

And it was.

The sheer power of the electricity poured into what would become the living legend's trademark technique, was enough to blind his audience. With a crackling roar, a thunderclap of static raced around his body in a halo of unadulterated, electric-blue current, gathering to a single loop of first-finger and thumbnail. His hair stood on end, his eyes glowing an unearthly colour as the coin, in almost slow motion, fell within the hole of his shimmering digits.

And then Tayuya knew no more.

The Shishi Enjin did not fall immediately; the beam of solid blue light struck it with a resounding gong, ripples of power dispersing across its surface, emanating from where it was struck. Tayuya screamed as the heat rose to unbearable levels around her.

It was followed, almost as quickly, with another Railgun, this one blowing clear through the barrier, taking Tayuya with it.

There wasn't even any ash left.

The barrier fell immediately, the Kumo and Konoha Shinobi staring dumbly forward unable to comprehend quite what had happened in those moments. Jiraiya and the ANBU Commander-General were quick to snap from the euphoria though.

Things happened speedily after that. Omoi was turning blue from holding his breath and the ANBU squad, Naruto and Jiraiya had zipped into where the barrier had last been. Fighting within had stilled when the barrier had fallen.

Orochimaru's smirking face faltered. How had the Shishi Enjin fallen? That wasn't supposed to even be possible! It was almost as strong as the Rashoumon! And then he saw him.

Uzumaki Naruto.

His gut froze. Jiraiya and the Head of ANBU were right beside him.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

So, another cliffhanger! And this chapter was much shorter than the last! HOWEVER! My exams are now over and I shall be working on it a lot more! So expect updates much faster now!

**Shishi Enjin - Four Violet Flames Battle Formation**

**Character Use:** Jiroubou, Kidoumaru, Sakon, Tayuya  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** Mid (5m ~ 10m)  
**Type:** Supplementary

Shishi Enjin is a Ninjutsu field creation technique utilized by the Sound Four. After surrounding their target, the four barrier specialists will create a rectangular box made of violet flames. Once created, no ninja will be able to penetrate the barrier without being harmed by the walls of flame. The only way to destroy the barrier is by disrupting the field from the inside. To protect themselves while they are in the box, the Sound Four will create another wall near them to completely enclose their body. This allows their opponent and another ally to fight, while they can remain unharmed.

**Kuchiyose • Rashoumon - Summoning • Rashoumon**

**Character Use:** Ukon, Sakon  
**Rank:** B  
**Range:** -  
**Type:** Defense

Kuchiyose • Rashoumon is a Ninjutsu summoning technique utilized by the Sound ninja Ukon and Sakon. Said to be the ultimate defense of Orochimaru's. The brothers can summon it by drawing blood and then slamming their palms to the ground. Only a very powerful impact can mar the gate.

And that's all! Do review! xD


	49. Chapter 49

Hey-yo guess who's back?

This chapter is dedicated to Lord Ezra'eil for reviewing chapter 48 literally within 20 minutes of it being posted (a new record!). I'd also like to thank everyone who has stuck around for KNP through its pitfalls and peaks; I know my writing isn't worth much and I know I'm only doing it for fun, but your support has been overwhelming and I'm honestly really glad that I've managed to get this far. KNP won the 2010 Fanfiction awards for the Humour category, much to my never-ending delight, by a massive margin. It received 61% of the votes!

The voting for the adventure genre has gone up, the link is in my profile. The three stories nominated are Zessei's 'An Alternative Path', Shadow Rebirth's 'Failing Twilight' and anothvortex's 'Escape from the Hokage's Hat'. All three are of amazing quality and it really is hard to decide which one is the best from them, do find time to submit your vote!

No recommendations today as I'm sure everyone wants to read the chapter. Good luck to you all. It's a heavy ride.

The end is indeed in sight.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Something had gone drastically wrong.

Orochimaru had inside information, he had been one of the Sannin of course, one of the three students of the Sandaime Hokage himself. He knew the layout of Konoha, all the underground networks, escape routes and entrances like the back of his hand. He knew the ins-and-outs of the complex workings of the council and ruling families.

He'd taken everything into account. Everything except one wannabe-blond civilian.

The plan should have been flawless. There was no way Konoha should have even had the fleeting thought of the _possibility_ of Sound and Stone attacking. And yet they had.

There should have been no possible way that he'd have to escape from the Forest of Death with his tail between his legs with a squad of ANBU hot on his trail and a bleeding stump for what was once his arm.

There should have been no comprehensible way that Kabuto, _Yakushi Kabuto_, the spy who had single-handedly infiltrated Akatsuki with his own skill and then become a double agent under him, to have died at the hands of a mere Jounin.

All these things should never have happened. And the Snake-user had been so riled up, so stuck on his revenge that he didn't realise until the last minute that all of these things, all of these inconsistencies were all due to a single individual who stood before him now flanked by the strongest Konoha and Kumo had to offer.

Uzumaki Naruto.

How he _loathed_ that name.

Orochimaru wasn't stupid. He knew he could have succeeded even with an error margin of 40% without the blonde's interference. But that was shot to hell. He couldn't kill the old geezer now that the cavalry had arrived.

_And how in Manda's name did he break the Shishi Enjin?_

And so, he decided to do what he did best.

Escape and fight another day.

His startled form melted into mud, his Chakra signature retreating quickly towards the west. Sarutobi was panting hard, Enma lying a few feet away in his monkey form. The surrounding Ninja had no idea what to do, except two.

And they were ready for this eventuality.

Have you ever been in a room, asleep, when suddenly a spotlight is turned on directly in your face? Maybe a spotlight is not an accurate description, a halogen floodlight being more accurate. One second you're in a semi-relaxed state and suddenly every sense in your body goes haywire.

That was the feeling the surrounding Shinobi felt in a split second after Orochimaru began to disappear. The centre of this sudden influx of insane Chakra was none other than the ANBU Sou-Taicho himself.

They'd reflect on it later, how he said no words, how he didn't even move. He simply stood there one moment, and then suddenly it was as if a particularly violent explosion went off not a metre from them.

And then he disappeared.

And reappeared a few feet away, his gloved hand glued to the head of the elusive Nuke-nin. He didn't attack Orochimaru, he simply grabbed a fistful of long hair, pulled him from the ground with a wet sucking noise and flung his body back into the circle.

Jiraiya had also noticed his ex-teammate's typical behaviour and was ready to act. His fist came up in a devastating haymaker, but Orochimaru rolled to avoid it. He sprang up to glare dourly at the two.

"Must you make things more difficult? If you value your lives, do not foolishly attempt to get in my way."

Jiraiya stopped, blocking his last escape route and Orochimaru cursed internally. This was getting worse. He could have escaped if he was just a tiny bit faster. He wondered about the identity of the current Commander-General. He'd been offered the position and turned it down once upon a time. He hadn't any idea who had taken the position after that. It was shortly before the Yondaime was chosen and he hadn't wanted anything to prevent him from becoming the Village leader at that time.

The ANBU operative was amazingly powerful; his light show had all but frozen his Chakra system. Kanashibari maybe? It was unlike anything he'd seen before because there was no eye contact in that instant. He'd been underground after all...

He had bigger problems now.

Sarutobi gasped a deep breath and then stood upright. He strode to Enma who promptly transformed into his staff form.

"Sou-Taicho-san, Jiraiya-kun, thank you for the assistance. I shall take it from here."

"I don't think so Jiji."

Sarutobi gave a start.

"N-Naruto-kun? What are you doing here?"

Naruto pointed at the self-claimed Oto-kage.

"I'm gonna kick his scaly butt."

"Naruto-kun, I don't thin-"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A CRAP WHAT YOU THINK? THE STUPID PUNK'S KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE! HE'S **STILL** KILLING PEOPLE, HE'S EVEN TRYNA KILL **YOU!**"

Silence reined.

"Do you not believe me capable of defeating my own student?"

Naruto snorted.

"Last I checked, you were so old you had hair growin out your mouth Jiji."

"No, that was because you-"

Naruto interrupted him.

"He's stronger than you. He's stronger than me. But if we're gonna beat him, we'll beat him together, right Ero-Sennin?"

Jiraiya didn't turn away from staring at his once-friend but he nodded slightly.

"And you think that would do any good?" Orochimaru purred sardonically.

Naruto's eyes flashed.

"Just try it Snake face. You're goin' down today."

Orochimaru sighed theatrically before going silent. The sounds of war washing over them throughout the Village.

It's funny how fights start. You could be standing around and suddenly someone would hit you, and you'd have had no idea where it came from. Often enough, a battle was settled by the first move; humans were strong enough that the initial blow was enough to disorient an opponent that he'd immediately go down easily afterwards. The difference between a trained fighter and a normal person was who could get that first hit before the other and deal more damage.

With Orochimaru, it was so very difficult to even get a hit in.

He ducked the first swipe of Sarutobi's staff, whistling over his head like a guillotine. He was then forced to jump and spin, his body horizontal to the ground as Naruto went low with his Ryu-Zashi. He spun outwards, his arc taking him away from the two as he landed, catlike, further away. He had begun a set of seals beforehand and had finished them in the initial attack.

"Senei'Jashu!"

Snakes wriggled free from his sleeves, weaving down his arms and lunging at the surrounding Shinobi. Omoi yelped and backed up only to be silenced as Samui's Katana sliced its head off in one fell swoop.

"Let's...stay back for now."

Yugito shot her a confused look but Samui shook her head and backed up a pace. The ANBU Sou-Taicho remained still, his squad mates on either side of the roof to protect them from intrusion.

One would expect that a battle between three Kage-level Shinobi and another whose skill set was at least on par with a Jounin would amount to some hard-hitting Jutsu being slung around like a back-and-forth rally. It certainly would have been the case if it were one-on-one, but it wasn't. Three couldn't risk harming their friends and their opponent was too busy handling them to even think about using a Jutsu, let alone a high-level technique.

It was a statement to Orochimaru's experience and skill that he managed to avoid so much. His body flowed like water, under thrusts, over kicks, to the left and right of weaponry in his original Hebiken form. He ducked a vicious thrust from Sarutobi's staff, only to fling himself into a backflip to avoid a brace of shuriken that almost tore into his stomach.

He landed, only to have a foot slam into his position if he hadn't rolled away in time. It was too difficult, he'd have to take one of them out in close combat. His eyes roved over his opponents, first alighting on the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki.

Naruto was young, prone to mistakes, not enough experience. He would be the most logical and easiest opponent to remove. But Orochimaru shook his head; his youth meant he could adjust faster on the fly. Naruto would be his last opponent.

Jiraiya was his ex-teammate, he knew his fighting style very well. But he was every bit as cunning as the Snake of the Sannin.

That only left Sarutobi, his target in this whole business. Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone...

He spun to his left, his hand flashing up to retrieve the sword from his mouth. The Kusanagi glowed magnificently in the Summer sun, shafts of light reflecting like stars off its surface. He was unable to marvel in its beauty due to the double slice Naruto aimed at his chest. He parried and threw him off, springing through the brat's guard and kicking him in the gut. Naruto, surprised, was thrown bodily backward.

Orochimaru cart-wheeled, a tongue of fire missing his head by inches, Jiraiya's vision now free to use a Jutsu without Naruto in the way. He felt the heat sear the right side of his body as it shot past. He landed fluidly, hopped, threw a shoulder barge at his charging Sensei, spun and plunged the sword into the stomach of his esteemed teacher.

As the metal sank into his flesh, Orochimaru gazed dispassionately into the eyes of the man who taught him how to be a Shinobi. He felt a vague twinge of regret; he had been kind to him, helping him from a young age when he'd lost his parents, guiding him like a son through thick and thin. But Orochimaru had thrown those bonds away. They no longer mattered. This man was his enemy; he had stood in his path to power and immortality, and for that, Orochimaru was forced to kill him and destroy his precious village before his very eyes.

Sarutobi's eyes widened, the pain taking a full second to sink in before a scream almost tore from his throat. Orochimaru was slightly disappointed when his Sensei bit his lip and forced his pain down. They tumbled to the ground, the Kusanagi embedded within Sarutobi's middle.

The battle stilled.

Orochimaru rose gracefully, his mouth twisting into a pleased smile as he wrenched the sword sideways. Hiruzen grunted in pain, his eyes screwed shut, but refused to shout out. With a long-suffering sigh, the wily Oto-kage pulled the Kusanagi free, blood flowing rivulets over its surface.

"No!"

"Jiraiya STOP!"

Hiruzen panted as he pushed himself to a kneeling position, his blurring eyes fixed upon his single trusted student. He was done, he knew it, Jiraiya knew it. There was no stopping such a wound. Even now, he felt his consciousness slipping, his grasp on the world fading as if trying to grip a flow of water within his fist.

"J-Jiraiya...stop..."

"Sensei! You can't-"

He held up a shaking hand for silence. Orochimaru watched on in intrigue.

"I am past my limit. Y-you know this..."

He stopped to catch his breath, a trickle of blood slipping from the edge of his mouth. He rose a hand to his lips and wiped it across his face before looking up again.

"Naruto, I know you can hear me...listen to me, Naruto..."

The world had frozen. The air was still. There was no sound of battle.

"Naruto, promise me...promise me you shall take...that you shall take the position for Godaime..."

Sarutobi heaved, his front splattered with blood.

"It was not my intention to anger you...Your father...he was...my closest of friends..."

Jiraiya shut his eyes, tears rolling from them inadvertently. Sarutobi...he couldn't die. He was the pillar of strength for Konoha. The leader with such indomitable spirit that he retook the position even when his successor had fallen.

Sensei couldn't die.

"Naruto, I..."

He coughed and his eyes closed, his lips moving slightly, a whisper upon the wind. The lament of the breeze.

_I love you._

And then he collapsed. His body folded inwards like paper and he lay still, a growing pool of blood forming beneath him. Jiraiya fell to his knees a guttural shout erupting from his mouth.

But it was immediately drowned out by the animalistic roar that rent the sky like an avenging beast.

The Toad Sage's eyes swung around.

_Oh shi-_

XXXXXXXXXX

The Nine-Tailed Fox stirred. It could feel a tug on his essence. The human child was drawing power from its reserves.

It could sense anger, delicious, sweet anger, rolling in thick waves through his heart. The mental turmoil he had felt building for years was straining to be released.

This would be interesting. It would wait and see how this would play out...

Soon...soon...

XXXXXXXXX

Naruto screamed. Hate, unadulterated loathing dousing his figure in fiery red. Or maybe that was the Kyuubi's Chakra? It was hard to tell. Jiraiya was rooted to the ground, his hands half-raised as if he were in the process of placing his head in his hands, but now looked as if he were praying. Tears traced his cheeks, though his surprised eyes were locked on the beast that was tearing up the ground before him.

And then it began.

Another roar, this one banal. Naruto dropped to all fours, two fiery tails waving behind his back. His eyes had shrunk to slits, his fingernails curving to resemble claws, and his teeth pointed like knives. He threw himself bodily through the air, his tails helping to propel him towards his target. Orochimaru attempted to guard himself, but the Kusanagi was dashed from his hands.

The true battle started now.

He only just had time to finish his seals when a vicious claw tore into his abs, severing his body in two. The snake-shed technique had initiated however, and so it grew back almost immediately. Naruto seemed to have an inherent grasp on his techniques in this form as he didn't let up his attack at all. He pivoted, two flame-encased tails swinging down to slam into the ground with such force that the whole tower rattled, as did everyone else's teeth. Orochimaru had spun out of the way, going for his sword once again.

Naruto's tails began to spin, faster and faster until a scorching wind blew from the appendages. His tails were completely coiled like a spring as they flattened onto the ground. And just as a spring is sprung, so did he, flying at insane speeds towards his target. Orochimaru was many things, but he was not fast enough to dodge a human cannonball.

He tumbled to the concrete, scraping his arms as he slid across its coarse surface. As he slid, he used the time to form one last Jutsu, his life depending on it. He slammed his hand down just in time to roll away without being skewered by the freshly untwined duo of tails.

Runes shot out, a seal of intricate design before a coffin began rising slowly from the ground. Naruto completely ignored it however, one of his tails plucking a Ryu-Zashi from his back and flinging it at an impossible speed towards Orochimaru. As a lone figure stepped out of the coffin, the door falling in a loud clatter to the ground, Orochimaru had a final moment to pitch a Kunai with a red tag at the male who had appeared from death itself.

He vaguely noted that the Wakizashi with what seemed to be a dragon intricately carved upon it, had bubbling crimson Chakra flowing through it. That was, before it entered his skull and pierced his brain.

Naruto roared in triumph, snarling his victory at the sky as if to challenge the very clouds.

But then he heard a gasp, his enhanced hearing swinging him around in surprise. A blond man stood opposite him, a blank look on his face. Deep down, he knew there was something about this man he was missing, something through all the rage and pain that he should be noticing, but all he could see was another enemy. He was the king of the wild, no man, nor beast, could stop him.

Not even Minato Namikaze. The Fourth Hokage.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Tsunade raced as fast as she could through the tumult that had erupted within Konoha's famed walls. It was disturbing enough to have nightmares about war and dying family, friends and loved ones. To have that nightmare make its way to her waking moments was something she was so afraid of that just thinking about it was as bad as the most frightening Genjutsu possible.

But being awake made all the difference. She had to move, she had a job to do.

As she loped down a pot-holed street, collapsed doorways and groaning support beams littered all around, she recognised Shizune's Chakra Signature as it appeared beside her.

"Tsunade-Sama!"

The Senju heiress nodded sharply but didn't say a word. They skidded around a corner and came upon the bleached white of Konoha Central Hospital.

"Shizune, I'm going to check up on Shisui. Decide what you need to do and do it quickly."

Tsunade sped up noticeably, her eyes set on her objective. She forwent the usual entrance at the front of the building for climbing the walls with Chakra. Normally, such a feat would be impossible due to the Anti-Chakra layer applied to its surface, but to someone with Tsunade's level of control, it wasn't of much significance. A serious Chakra-drain, but nothing that she couldn't put up with when all was said and done.

Her fist flashed up and crashed into a window that was surprisingly untouched by the carnage of the battle unfolding below. The light tinkle of glass erupted inwards and she wasted little time swinging into the hole she'd made. She had a bad feeling about this...

The third floor held the infamous Ward 18 corridor, the section of the hospital reserved for long-term injuries among Shinobi. There were rumours that things went on within its sterile corridors that were unsanctioned by the current government; illegal human testing of the latest Chakra technology and other such ridiculousness. In her time working within the building, she had never been assigned to any of the patients within ward 18, her skills required far more out on the field than within a room no-one frequented, not even the staff.

She had begun to have her doubts though; could there be some truth to the rumours afterall? Shisui's case was extremely strange, his vitals showing that he should have awoken a long time ago and yet he remained catatonic. Then there was the Hyuuga girl's file she had discovered only a few days prior. How was it possible that a human, a ninja no less, could be confined to a bed for so long even through Chakra's natural regenerative qualities?

Something was nagging her, but she wouldn't realise what it was until it was far too late to prevent the repercussions of the panic within and without the Village of the Leaves.

She burst into Ward 18, blonde hair flying behind her. She skidded to a halt and almost ripped the curtain from in front of the Uchiha's bed. Someone had been in here a moment before, the ruffled bed-clothes, the discarded scalpel rolling on the floor and the open window at the far end evidence enough to her experienced mind. She quickly ran diagnostics over Shisui's form, sighing in relief when she found nothing to have changed. Seems as if her presence scared whoever it was away from whatever they had been attempting to do.

It was too late to pursue now though, her priority was with her patient. Never leave a patient in the field, it was one of the things that had been drilled into her head in Med School. Shizune was most likely assessing the situation downstairs; better her than Tsunade for sure. Nothing would get done if all the staff were on eggshells due to her _magnificent _presence.

She turned to the window, wondering how Naruto was doing throughout all of this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto roared again, a wave of Chakra skimming the roof like a tide. His eyes alighted on the black-cloaked ANBU who had gasped and taken a small step back. Orochimaru was done, he'd defeated him when his Wakizashi had pierced his skull. Now another opponent had appeared.

"M-Minato."

The roof's occupants were surprised to hear the Commander-General's words. Even as the Kyuubi's Chakra had been released and then Naruto having defeated Konoha's most infamous Missing-Nin in rage, the ANBU Commander had not moved an inch. Everyone was surprised to see the previous Fire Shadow standing before them in the flesh once again.

Naruto screeched and loped towards the new threat. He didn't even get half way before a hand clamped down upon his shoulder. Burning eyes, stoked with malice, fixed upon the blank mask of the hooded Sou-Taicho.

"This is now my fight. Stand down."

There was something so noble, so emotive, that Naruto faltered in that moment, crimson Chakra racing into his body once again as if a bath plug had been pulled in that instant. He collapsed from exhaustion, the Kyuubi's essence having taken its toll on his body.

The ANBU General caught his toppling form and laid him gently on the smooth cement surface, a gloved hand pulling his unruly blond hair behind his head gently. The Operative stood regally, regarding the erstwhile Hokage behind the standard elite mask.

"Such despicable techniques. Jiraiya-Sama, see that the Nuke-Nin does not escape. He is not dead."

Jiraiya started, surprised, before charging back to the fallen form of his old teammate. The ANBU Sou-Taicho walked calmly towards the undead form of the Yondaime Hokage before his body flickered and disappeared once again.

To the Kumo and Konoha Shinobi, Minato Namikaze was still as powerful and fearless as they remembered him. Spinning Rasengans, slight movements so fast that it was hard to track, inhuman reflexes that dodged and danced around any assailant, Kumo's famous Sanken were awed and humbled by the absolute mastery of Shinobi technique that the ex-Hokage had epitomised.

The ANBU Sou-Taicho took it all in stride, Samui thought. Almost...almost as if he or she had experienced all of this before...

For all intents and purposes, it was as if the two were each other's match. Namikaze didn't have his famed tri-pronged Kunai and so the battle was not over in a flash. Rather, the Elite of even the elites seemed to match his skills perfectly. Punches were dodged with precise movements, not a single extra ounce of energy used for anything. Blocks were sure and firm, neither wasted time lingering after a blow.

It was almost a rehearsed act, a very deadly pantomime of steel and blood.

The Sou-Taicho's palm flashed out in a deadly flat strike, only to be parried and grasped around the wrist. The undead Minato twirled expertly, pulling the agent's limb behind his back and hopping into a bone-crushing drop-kick aimed at the operative's spine. The black-cloaked figure twitched and a Senbon ripped through the blonde's throat, decidedly not killing him yet forcing him to relinquish his grip. The Commader leaped forward, hand crackling with some sort of Raiton Jutsu that supercharged the air. Minato flung himself backwards into a backflip and settled a short distance away, mid-length hair and cape fluttering in the wind.

"Why are you here again? Did you not resist the Jutsu's pull as you should have?"

The question was spoken softly, but went unanswered as Minato didn't even react to it. The fight resumed at its frenzied pace.

"Shouldn't we...help?" Omoi whispered.

Samui glared at him.

"I don't want to turn into mincemeat anytime soon." She growled.

"Bu-But!"

"No buts! Can't you see? We're nowhere near as proficient as they are! One slip up and the battle's over! That Commander has it hard; the dead guy won't go down by conventional means but he has to watch out for anything and everything."

They paused as the huge forms of their Kage and his brother landed beside them.

"How's it- HOLY CRAP! IS THAT THE YONDAIME HOKAGE LOOKING ALL BRAP?"

The Raikage silenced him with a glare that clearly said _'not now.'_

They turned to see Jiraiya struggling to withhold Orochimaru's soul from attacking his body. The Raikage nodded.

"Bee, let's go. We can't let that stinking snake get away this time. You have Silvana on you?"

Killer Bee dipped his head, his hand over the bottom right sword of the three strapped to the right side of his lower back, fingering the handle.

"Good. One strike."

Bee nodded. They took off, swerving away from each other as they raced towards their target. The Raikage went for Jiraiya, leaping bodily into him and throwing him away from Orochimaru's corpse as Bee plunged his sword, a sleek Katana, stained amethyst with a purple dragon swirling over its length, purple Chakra undulating like fire around its glinting edge, directly into the ethereal snake's head that was launching itself from the downed Missing-Nin's form. An unearthly howl ripped through the air as the huge snake writhed in pain, spitting deadly venom that quickly ate into the concrete below their feet.

Just before the shout rent the area, the fight on the other side of the roof had stilled once again.

"Or was it that you wanted to see your son?"

Orochimaru's agony let itself be known and the undead form of the Yondaime Hokage identified it as a threat in its instinct-enhanced mind.

Minato Namikaze paused.

It was then that Naruto struck.

A beam of the purest blue shot through one side of the dead Hokage's crown and out the other before the whole cranium exploded. There was no blood or gore, just a sort of ash that floated to the ground. Whatever seal had been affixed to the Kunai Orochimaru had pitched into the corpse's head had been totally disintegrated by the laser of electricity that had razed its skull to pieces.

The Kumo-nin were once again stunned by the raw power within such a simple electric technique. The Raikage himself was speechless, his brother frozen.

"Well damn," he muttered, "the Gaki's practically Kumo already."

The ANBU Sou-Taicho turned his blank mask to the gasping form of Uzumaki Naruto who had apparently awoken in the last few moments. As Naruto raised his head, the Commander-General almost took a step back in surprise for the second time that day.

His eyes were glistening, tears trailing tracks down his grime-covered cheeks. When he spoke, his voice was raspy as if his throat were dry, his body trembling from pain or distress. Naruto had realised something, the dawning light in his troubled eyes almost projecting the clicking of gears as certain clues fell into place within his mind.

"The...Yondaime was my...dad."

Silence met his proclamation. It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact. This time Jiraiya's face really did fall into his hands.

"Taicho?"

"What?" Samui snapped irritably.

"You know those few years back when we saw the brat on his flying board thingy and I asked why Cloud hadn't thought of that yet despite our name?"

"Yes, so what?" She couldn't keep her slight interest out of her voice this time.

"Well I've decided that again. That is the most _**badass, hot-damn Raiton technique EVER!**_"

Samui sighed. She couldn't deny _that_.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Right, I decided to cut it there. The battle is pretty much over and all the important parts have been covered. There'll be one last scene for wrapping up what some of the characters did as the battle wore on and then there'll be a short monologue of the aftermath. I'm estimating 3 more chapters of KNP left. Will you miss it?

Quite heavy on the information here, and I apologise once again for having Naruto use his Railgun so many times. It's a time of crisis and he's not thinking straight, so he used the first and strongest technique that came to mind. You WILL see a return to his flexible fighting style in the final battle of the story in chapter 52.

Also, another apology. This should have been out a couple of days ago but something came up and I was unable to write. Just keep that in mind if it happens again please!

Oh, and do leave a review!

MegaB Out!


	50. Chapter 50

Yosha! Chapter 50, two more to go! Are you all excited? I am!

I'm all pumped up from reaching 3000 reviews (_THREE THOUSAND REVIEWS!)_ So here's a longer chapter than the last two!

I'd also like to wish Ageant a very happy birthday, his present is at the end of this chapter, and to remind him that a year in the washing machine does not count.

For he always needs reminding!

No recommendations today as I'm mighty busy! And so we go...

ZZZZZZZZZZ

A deafening silence had fallen over the Village of Konoha. It was possibly the most unusual phenomenon for what was possibly the most famous of the hidden Villages on the continent.

A battle had ended.

Atop a rooftop at the centre of the bustling landmark, a group of the most powerful Shinobi the world over, stood, silently gazing at the fallen in muffled shock. It had only just began to sink in that the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the rumoured Shinobi who had lasted from the time of the first two Hokages, two Shinobi Wars and the master of over a thousand Jutsu, had fallen.

It was a deathblow like none before; he had been a survivor, battling it out for decades with the hardiest of opponents and coming out on top with his amazing skill and flexibility. His name had become synonymous with the strength of the leaf. When someone would discuss the Village, he would be mentioned in some form: "Old Sarutobi wouldn't allow it", or "There's no way that would work with the Sandaime Hokage there". He was feared and respected amongst the all-time greats, his call rising to the companionship of the Senju, Uchiha and Mafihu clans, the latter of which were the ruling power in Cloud and in the background of politics of both Iwa and Ame.

For him to have died by the hand of his own student was the ultimate insult. Jiraiya could hardly believe that the man he had once called friend, the man he had shared times of hardship and ease, camaraderie and turmoil, had dealt the final blow to sever that bond that remained between them; the bond of master and student.

The despair, the longing and mourning would settle in later, he decided, for now he was sort of faint. It was as if he were looking out at the world through a translucent pair of glasses; he senses were dulled, his mind sluggish. The final moments where he had realised he too would collapse under the sheer weight of hatred Orochimaru harboured within his soul as he fought the serpentine apparition that attempted to overwhelm him, he let go of the world. He let go of his inhibitions to death.

What more could he do? He was no longer young, his time in the spotlight had come and gone. He would be relieved to abandon the unfulfilled hopes and dreams that were the bane of his existence. Things he had sought, things that were added to his growing list of failures every minute he breathed the fetid air around him.

It was his job, _his_, to deal with his turned teammate. It was his failure, _his_, that had led to so many deaths.

To the death, he choked, of his teacher, his father, and his friend.

He glanced up to find Orochimaru's screams stopped, the thrice-damned snake collapsed in the throes of death.

He would not regret it. He saw now that death was the only reprieve for the evil man. How foolish he had been to hold hope in anything otherwise.

His eyes shifted, he avoided looking at the body of his Sensei. He couldn't handle that just yet. His gaze alighted, instead, upon the kneeling form of his Godson. And it was then that he came to a startling resolution, growing panic rising within his chest.

Naruto had snapped.

He wanted to cry out, he knew that it was a likely outcome from the catastrophe that had encircled the blond since the day he was born. How could the son of the Village's hero be dealt such a bad hand? He felt he owed his student, and in turn, his student's son, his shoulders for the burden Naruto carried, but he realised too late that the weight was far too heavy for anyone to hold. A child would turn old from the strain.

He could only stare helplessly at the unseeing eyes, those eyes that had once held such sparkling warmth and vigour, the slumped shoulders that had forever faced the world with pride, the bowed head that had never once faltered throughout the ordeals of a Jinchuuriki's woes, and wish...

_And wish_, that something, _anything_, would go right for him.

But it was not to be.

The silent spectres of their audience had gathered around the limp form of the Sandaime Hokage, Naruto on his knees within their circle. He could hear the words of a boy, _no_, a man who had lost everything he had ever stood to gain.

"Why, why didn't you tell me? Was I not old enough? Am I not strong enough? You wanted me to become Hokage Jiji, why couldn't you _trust me with this?_"

The Toad Sage felt Naruto crying, the desolation thick in his voice. He may not have been able to see, but the anguish was enough to be palpable.

"The Yondaime? My dad? Haha...hahahaha. It's funny, isn't it? I-"

He paused for breath.

"And now you're dead. After all this time. You said you loved me Jiji!" He gasped, the sound almost of mocking mirth.

"I-I thought you hated me!" He laughed again, a rushed, cracked sound of a dry, hoarse throat. Jiraiya would have winced if he wasn't so disturbed. No child should make that noise.

"T-The ANBU missions, the-the doing stuff behind my back whenever I wasn't looking. I just-"

He fell silent.

"Jiji, I-"

"I loved you too!" And Jiraiya began to cry. It had come out so high-pitched! Like a boy backed up against a wall, no escape to be had from the torments in front of him. He hunched inwards. How he had failed, he could never forgive himself. Naruto sniffed and probably wiped his nose of the sleeve of his shirt.

"_I can't take this anymore._"

What?

Jiraiya rose unsteadily, craning his neck to get a glimpse of his Godson. What did he just say?

Yet Naruto had stood, turning his back on everyone, turning his back on the world. He glanced sideways.

"_Don't bother followin' me._"

"Naruto! What-"

But he was gone, flinging himself into the air, his Airboard pulled from his back and set under his feet, the wind kicking up in his wake.

And it was then, on that tragic day, that Jiraiya would remember for years to come. The sun had set as they stood, tears trailing down the crevices of their faces as they stared helplessly at the one teenager who carried the burdens of the world on his fragile shoulders.

XXXXXXXXX

In retrospect, the Raikage thought, he really should have said something to stop Naruto from leaving when he did. He certainly had no lost love for Konoha and the old fools that made up their governing body, but being in a place that held some semblance of safety was far better than out in the wild so to speak.

And standing now, as the crowd dispersed around him, the culmination of the heroes who died from the invasion, he couldn't help but stare at the single photo of Sarutobi Hiruzen who smiled benignly down from the plinth above his coffin as if in pride of his citizens.

He would've spat on that photo if it wouldn't have meant a war.

He turned away, contempt burning within him as he faced his entourage. Samui was regarding him critically, Yugito looked a bit scared and overwhelmed from the proceedings, but the rest of the team were pretty much aloof. Good, he had no tolerance for melodrama.

"What now Raikage-Sama?"

He snorted belligerently.

"What else Samui? We return to Kumo. Our job here is done."

His brother stared at him causing him vague discomfort. He was thankful when Bee did not seek to mention his worries however.

"Sir, what about Naruto?" His sidelong glance alighted upon the Nibi's Jinchuuriki.

"Yugito, what was the purpose of our presence here?"

She bristled indignantly.

"To find Naruto, but that's-"

"That's it exactly. Do you really think I care about the crappy politics that the Daimyo are going to try to rope us into? We didn't help them out for any other reason."

She looked a bit crestfallen at that. Maybe a little too zealous he mused.

"Samui, keep your team here for a couple more days and run interference. And for God's sake, don't blow anything up!"

Samui saluted smartly although the chagrined expression didn't help.

"Bee, Yugito, with me. We leave in five."

He turned from them then, deciding to look over the Village one last time. He strode to the edge of the balcony, his feet heavy from what, he did not know.

Konoha seemed peaceful, even after a war. The Village was calm, small lights peering through the wreckage and destruction. Irritation bit at him as his eyes trailed over the prideful Village. This is what he hated; that people could sit there and say they care when the World was only a burden to a few. A price for power.

When individuals like he, his brother, Yugito and Naruto were forced to do all the dirty work and then suffer from it. His lip curled as he felt the two remaining council members place themselves behind him.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Homura-dono, Koharu-dono?"

They nodded to him as he glanced over his shoulder, the former taking a step forward lightly. Age had not reduced their poise in the slightest.

"Raikage-dono, we would like to extend our gratitude to Kumogakure no Sato for the invaluable assistance they have lent in this most troubling time."

He inclined his head, seething on the inside.

"To this end, we would like to offer an alliance to all of Lightning Country. The Land of Fire shall do her utmost to aid you in your endeavours should they ever require."

He spun slowly, facing them now. Koharu had said that one. Just what were they thinking?

"As you undoubtedly know, strife has recently broken out in Mizu. It seems that a civil partnership has been born from the rebellious groups outside of the Mizukage's jurisdiction. It is in these times that political stability is required more than anything else, won't you agree?" She seemed to be amused, the Raikage mulled.

It was time to end this charade.

"So basically, you're gearing up for a war and you want to be the side with more support, right?"

Homura gave a start.

"No, we personally feel that peace in the continent is more important-"

"More important than your own damn civilians!" The Raikage snarled.

Homura schooled his features into a thin frown.

"I am confused as to what you are referring, Raikage-dono."

He'd begun to seriously consider frying them at this point.

"Maybe Uzumaki meant nothing to you then huh? Maybe you're confused about him leaving too?"

He saw the steely glint enter the duo's eyes.

"Indeed we are. We have no inkling why a Hokage-candidate would abandon his Village. Perhaps Sarutobi's nomination was too rash..."

His ire was rising steadily, it was all he could do to reign it in. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to prevent himself unleashing one of his more dangerous lightning techniques from the sight of their reprehensibly smug faces. When he opened them, it was as if fire had consumed him.

Or maybe electricity was a more apt analogy.

"Maybe because of all the crap you threw at him?"

A staring match ensued. He would not back down.

"Perhaps. And what of your own antecedent? Were you not here to recruit him yourself? I fail to see how what we employed was any different to your own methods, Raikage-dono." Homura was looking more proud of himself by the minute.

He decided enough was enough. He strode past them without looking back. As he rejoined his team he called over his shoulder.

"We wanted him, there's a difference."

And just as they were about to leave, Koharu spoke up one final time.

"Our offer still stands, please discuss it with your Daimyo."

His hand struck out in the signal to disperse before preparing to leave himself.

"I promise to _not_ think about it."

And then he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

How are you supposed to cope as everyone you ever held dear died in front of you?

Tsunade couldn't help but feel numb at the events unfolding before her. Should she feel guilty that she was unable to detect even a flicker of remorse at the death of her mentor? Maybe there was something wrong with her...

She sat slumped in a coffee coloured settee, a mug of lemon tea held loosely in her hands. She stared unseeingly at the far wall of the reception area of Konoha's Central Hospital. Jiraiya was slumped against the bleached surface opposite her. He hadn't spoken for a while now, and for that she was thankful.

What was she supposed to say?

And then a thought struck her.

"Jiraiya, how did Naruto take all of this?"

A flash of worry wormed into the pit of her gut when he didn't look up.

"Jiraiya-"

Her words ceased when she saw his face. It was blank, devoid of any emotion. She shivered; she'd never seen her ex-teammate like this before, not even when he was lamenting the betrayal of his best friend.

"He's gone."

Tsunade stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"He's gone? Where?"

He shrugged.

"What-"

He cut her off again, this time with words.

"He just up and left. Right after Orochimaru died. Threw himself onto that blasted Airboard and flew off somewhere."

Her mouth parted slightly, she didn't know how to react to that either.

"Did-Didn't you try to stop him?"

"Well sorry for not thinking of that when Sensei was dying!" He snarled. She recoiled at the venom in his voice.

The room descended into silence once again, albeit far more awkward and tense than before. True, he mustn't have been thinking straight, she could only imagine the guilt tearing at his mind from seeing Sarutobi die. She probably would have blamed herself too in that position. She shook herself; she needed something to distract her from these thoughts, they could discuss Naruto later. Grasping at straws, she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"What happened to Suna and Kumo? Their Kages were at the final weren't they?"

Jiraiya shrugged noncommittally.

"Yeah, the Kazekage decided he didn't want to get involved. From what the old bags on the council told me, he felt there was little precedent for fighting a battle where there would inevitably be loss of life for his forces and little gain. I heard a team of Suna Genin did a lot of damage to the Oto forces in the stadum though."

Tsunade nodded grimly. Damn elitist idiot. Someone could be killed in front of him by a thief and he wouldn't bat an eye unless he stood to achieve something from it.

"And the Raikage?"

Jiraiya smiled wanly. Her spirits rose a little; at least her friend wasn't so far gone that he'd taken to brooding.

"The only ray of sunshine. I told you that he was up there on the roof with us. Orochimaru only died because of him and his guards." He shuffled his feet awkwardly as if they were approaching a touchy subject again. She had to know though, so she jumped into the most important question weighing on her mind.

"So, tell me again how he died."

Jiraiya flinched.

"Sensei or the Hebi-yarou?" It was a resentful question.

"Oroichimaru." She bit out. It was hard to not snipe at him when he used that tone.

"Dunno. Killer Bee, the Hachibi's Jinchuuriki, said something about his sword having special Chakra conducting properties. Directly attacks the soul, he said."

She couldn't care less for the aloof tone he'd taken with her.

"Attacks the soul? I've never heard of a sword that can do that."

Jiraiya sighed and ran a weary hand over his face.

"Look Tsunade, I'm sorry about being such a git about all this. It's just, I can't-"

"I know," she said, a small, genuine smile curling at the edges of her lips, "I know, it's happened to me many times too."

A light of gratitude entered his eyes before he looked away. She would have giggled at his innocence in her younger days.

"It's just so easy to forget what you've been through." He groused.

Tsunade grimaced.

"Wish I could say the same, Jiraiya." She took a small gulp of her rapidly cooling beverage. Frowning as the cold, bitter liquid dribbled down her throat, she set the plastic cup aside and clasped her hands in front of her face.

"Did you see what direction Naruto left in?"

Jiraiya grunted.

"South-West-ish. Wasn't really paying attention after what he said."

Tsunade leaned forward anxiously.

"And what did he say?"

Jiraiya didn't answer for a few moments. When he did, his voice was hesitant and scratchy as if he were trying hard not to cry.

"He said he loved Sensei. He said that stuff was too much for him to handle. I think it broke him Tsunade!"

He turned away from her, maybe to hide tears, she couldn't be sure. She was, for the third time, speechless. Her heart had constricted painfully in her chest. She was about to push him further but he continued without her needing her prompting.

"It's been piling up for a while. I've seen it, but I didn't know what to do. Who could I go to? You had your own issues, Sensei was stuck protecting the Village and Orochimaru was a Missing-nin. He was going insane!"

She couldn't begrudge him that. She probably would have turned him down if he'd come to her. Rather forcefully too.

"Did you try talking to him?"

He laughed condescendingly.

"Oh yeah, that would have been a _delightful_ conversation! Naruto, you're just going crazy, would you like to talk to me about it?"

Tsunade bristled.

"What else could you do?" She hissed.

"Not that! It's all 'cause of Shisui; if he hadn't been injured..."

Tsunade drifted off at that. She supposed it was her call to sort that out; the brat was counting on her after all. Now if only she could find out why he wasn't waking up!

_Waking up, sleeping, sleeping is induced by certain hormones in the brain isn't it? No, that can't be right, I checked for abnormal chemical concentrations as soon as I got here..._

She had a niggling suspicion that she was missing something vital from the equation. It was driving her up the wall.

Jiraiya scowled. "Their group began to split up after that stupid mission. Kakashi doesn't trust anyone around Naruto anymore and Anko's been on tiptoes around the lot of them. They're drifting apart! Shisui was what held them together! It's almost as if his body is forcing him to stay asleep because being stabbed was like a hundred years of pain! Why can't he just wake up?"

Tsunade began to shake.

"_What did you just say?_"

He looked up, startled.

"Huh?" He replied intelligently.

"Repeat what you just said!"

He looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"He's had a hundred years of pain?"

"No! Before that, you idiot!"

He frowned at her displeasure but humoured her anyway.

"That I thought it was like his body was forcing him to sleep?"

She stood up. _That was it! How could she have ever missed it?_ If someone was forcibly feeding his body certain hormones intravenously, natural proteins that were used by the body to induce sleep when tired, of course she wouldn't detect it since she'd think it was simply the normal chemical present! That too, it would only take a slight addition to what was already there, and so it wouldn't appear to be an abnormal concentration at all.

Her scan had been duped. She needed to investigate this. And that Hyuuga girl too. Something funny was happening in Ward 18.

"Tsunade, wait!"

She paused at the door.

"I forgot to tell you. The council are considering you for Hokage. It's either you or Danzo. Do I need to tell you who I prefer?"

That was startling.

"What about you?" She asked hurriedly.

He gave her a look that clearly said _why do you think?_ Sighing she paced from the room. She had something else to do immediately; it wouldn't do to get disturbed at this point.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Guarding duty after a major battle had been fought was possibly the most boring job a ninja could be cajoled into doing. After the adrenaline high of slinging Jutsu around, dodging pointy weapons and then watching with detached mirth as your enemies sink into a gooey substance that was pink of all colours, standing around waiting for intruders was quite possibly lacklustre.

But the two Chuunin guards who had been tasked with surveillance weren't thinking anything of the sort. They were lying asleep at the corner of the road.

"Tell me why we're here again, Itachi-san?"

Itachi felt a small flicker of annoyance at his teammate. He was sure he'd explained their objective at least once.

"Because, Kisame, we have been tasked with the retrieval of the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki."

Kisame grinned a toothy, sharp-toothed grin.

"Ahhh! But how will we find him?"

Itachi lowered his wide-brimmed, straw hat with a daintily, purple-manicured finger.

"Information collection is simple within a crowd is it not?"

Kisame chuckled. The Uchiha descendant glared from the corner of a single eye beneath the edge of his hat, his Sharingan swirling ominously. The Sharkman's lips had twisted upwards exposing his teeth and the fleshy pink-white of his gums. It was a predator's smile.

They travelled into the Village proper, stopping for tea at a small teahouse on the edge of the Village. The wall had pretty much been pulverised by something during the course of the invasion and Itachi felt a strange sense of regret at the destruction of a place he may have visited in his childhood.

Not that his childhood held many memories of shops like this. It was more of bloodshed and promotions than anything.

_What a strange world we live in, _he pondered, _one where a man is celebrated for being the best murderer among his people._

The information they needed was readily available. So much so, that surprisingly, the couple at the far end of the counter were holding a very similar conversation to the one between the proprietor and one of his clients at the front of the store. The only difference being, the couple seemed to be arguing over whether a certain blond teenager's departure was good for Konoha or not. The owner of the shop seemed to have no inhibitions with praising Naruto however.

_Interesting. It seems Naruto-kun has gained a lot more support in the years I have been absent._

Finishing their drinks, they stood from their table.

"There you have it Kisame. It seems our time was wasted coming here after all."

Kisame shot him a calculating look. They matched glances for a while until the fish-like man turned away, fingering the hilt of his large sword affixed to his back.

"It seems you already knew that though, Itachi-san."

Itachi smiled slightly. So he knew. Yet he most definitely could not discern his true intent for entering Konoha, of this, the Uchiha male was sure.

"So why did we come here really, Itachi-san?" The way he elongated his As was mildly disconcerting, he decided.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it Kisame?"

The large man gestured with his arm and Itachi nodded. They disappeared from the shop as Sarutobi Asuma shouldered his way through the drapes hanging where the door had once been.

Of course, their espionage wouldn't last long, not with the Village Shinobi on high alert so soon following a major battle. But it was this fact that Itachi had counted on for his plan to succeed. Not that he would admit it to his partner in crime.

Pein and his minions did not need to know.

So it was with no surprise that the Uchiha traitor came face-to-face with a trio of Jounin who were quite famous behind those imposing walls that were not very imposing right now.

Would you look at that? He actually cracked a joke. Inserting some brevity into his step, he tipped his hat once again and decided to announce his presence.

"It's been a while Kakashi-senpai, Asuma-senpai, Kurenai-chan."

He could just see Kisame's bewildered look at the 'chan' part. Kurenai was none too pleased however, her nails biting into her palms as she spoke softly, but terribly.

"Don't you dare use that term for me traitor."

Itachi swept his hat from his crown, allowing it to float in the wind and settle upon the startlingly blue surface of the river running alongside the path they had taken leading to the end of the Village. His mind vaguely wondered why the water level was so low.

"I apologise," he responded, bowing his head ever so slightly.

Kakashi regarded him guardedly. Asuma was covering their backs. An efficient team as always, but not as good as the one he'd seen in Nami no Kuni. He'd heard tales of four Shinobi tearing the place up like tissue paper. One in particular in fact.

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Uchiha Itachi-san?"

No matter how much he attempted to conceal it, Itachi clearly detected the slight tilt of suppressed rage in the one-eyed Jounin's words. He and Shisui had been close after Itachi had left the Village. It would seem their impending battle would be hard-won if the stories of a certain spy's brutal death was something to go by.

"We have come seeking the Yondaime's Legacy. Unfortunately," he looked off into the distance, his mid-length hair fluttering in the slight breeze, "it appears that he is no longer within the walls of this Village."

Kakashi remembered the intelligence meetings he'd had as an ANBU Captain. There had been rumours filtering down to the elites of an organisation donning black cloaks with red clouds attempting to apprehend the Jinchuuriki for sinister means. He hadn't known too much about it, even though he'd discussed it with Shisui and Jiraiya in the past.

"Akatsuki, huh? What do you want with Naruto? I take it you want the Kyuubi within him."

It wasn't a question. Itachi reached out and grasped Kisame's elbow before he could draw his Zanbatou, thus drawing attention to the blue-skinned monster.

"And your partner?"

Kisame leered at Kurenai. Who wore bandages as clothes?

"Yuuhi Kurenai, Genjutsu extraordinaire. It's a pleasure I'm sure."

Kurenai flinched at the grating tones. The man slurred his words and it was as if his voice were stuck between cracking and not quite.

"This would be Hoshigake Kisame." Itachi gestured elegantly. Kisame pouted at his identity having been revealed. He too dropped his hat, causing the red-eyed woman to take a horrified step back at the shark-like features and pointed teeth. Hoshigake Kisame, the very same Shinobe from the Hidden Mist who was rumoured to have killed Water Country's Daimyo a few years before. They were both S-Ranked Missing-nin with such large crimes on their heads.

"Akatsuki's begun to move. I thought so, when Shisui was injured-"

His words were stopped short by a bone-jittering fly kick that slammed into his hastily assumed forearm guard. The flames of anger began to stoke within him. These were the people who had left Shisui, Shinkirou no Shisui, the famed and feared illusionist, a vegetable in some degrading hospital ward for long admittance. He was loathe to admit it, but that event at struck him deeply. Deeper, in fact, than any other event since the death of his Sensei.

Itachi swept around effortlessly, pivoting on the balls of his feet with the speed of a cheetah. His heel rose up in a devastating roundhouse which Kakashi only just managed to duck.

But the subtle choice in opponents was what decided the tide of battle. Upon registering that Kakashi was the greater threat, Itachi had abandoned his partner to a Genjutsu-specialist and a Fuuton user, of which he had little to no defence for in the current situation. If he were to release his full power here, every Shinobi in a five mile radius would no he was there.

And so forced to limit himself, Kurenai and Asuma tore into him like vengeful wolves. The combination of a powerful tree-binding Genjutsu and Asuma's wind-wrapped trench knives, mercilessly pounded him onto the back leg. Itachi was having slightly less trouble with his Sharingan counterpart.

Only _slightly less._

Kakashi's eyes were smouldering coals. In the course of the fight, his Hitai-ite had been knocked askew, uncovering his Sharingan. His hands were blurs as he matched the Uchiha blow-for-blow. Water Dragons slammed into Water Shields, Kunai were blocked and redirected effortlessly. Even the small, dirty tactics common only to the most experienced of ninja, were plentiful between them. It wasn't until Kakashi kicked water into his opponent's eyes and followed up with a Chidori during the slight pause that Itachi was forced to jump back, panting.

If he'd obtained the Mangekyou all those months back, it would have been very simple to remove the Copy-nin from the battle. But without it, Kakashi was a formidable, versatile and resourceful fighter. They were almost on par.

Almost.

But that was neither here nor there. Itachi snuck a quick glance to his partner who sported many cuts and gouges through his clothes and upon his face. He was livid; Itachi knew what he was thinking. If only he could fight all out, Kurenai would never be able to maintain a Genjutsu on him and Asuma's puny little trench knives would be like toothpicks to his Zanbatou, Samehada.

He wouldn't stay to find out if he could truly best Kakashi. They had other things to do and had already accomplished their objective.

"Kisame, we leave."

The Sharkman sputtered indignantly, spit frothing at his mouth in rage.

"What?"

Itachi glared at him.

"We are not here to start a war. Remaining here is meaningless."

Kisame's stance tightened but he complied, slowly returning Samehada to its position across his back.

"That's too bad," he drawled, "I was just getting excited."

The two flickered away as Kakashi pushed himself to his feet. Breathing hard, he squinted blearily at Asuma and Kurenai. They looked disappointed at not having defeated their enemy. They all sensed the incoming Chakra signature however, perhaps it was what made Itachi and Kisame run.

Maito Gai appeared in a blaze of green glory.

"Criminals desist! The Green Beast of Konoha has arrived to...

"Where are they?" He asked, looking around with a perplexed expression.

"They did a runner about a minute back," Asuma replied, lighting up his favourite cigarette and placing it between his teeth.

"Harhar! I knew I was good, but I didn't know I was this good!"

Kakashi sighed. Great, _just great._

Up in a tree above the river, a certain orange-masked man frowned. So they had known that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't in the Village and yet they had still entered it. He was not foolish enough to believe that Itachi was unskilled in remaining undetected.

Which meant he purposefully drew attention to his presence.

The question was for what reason? Madara pondered this information. It seemed he would have to kidnap the child before Itachi reached him; he could no longer trust his protégé it seemed. He wasn't worried though; he'd placed a tracking seal on the boy so long ago that was nigh undetectable.

With an imperceptible nod, he too disappeared. Not even the rustling branches would speak of his presence.

For that, he was sure.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

And a special Omake for everyone! This is a present for Ageant on his special day. Also, it is of significance for anyone who has read the humour/parody Lainana, Ageant and I decided to corrupt your minds with going by the name of It's Simple. If you haven't read it yet, you'll have no idea what the following mini-scene is supposed to mean. You can always read it though! It's under my stories in my account!

Credit for the Omake goes to Traitor-Hero for inspiring the idea! Well done man!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The coffin popped open and Orochimaru managed to fling a Kunai with a circumspect red tag attached to its end before Naruto's Wakizashi pierced his brain.

And he missed. How sad for someone's final moments.

Without the controlling tag deciding the revived Yondaime's actions, something very surprising happened.

Something _very suprising indeed._

"Yo, dad!"

Everyone fell silent. One of the ANBU agents actually reached into his ear to see if he had any wax distorting his hearing. Did the Fourth Fire Shadow just call his son, his dad?

"Hey son."

Ok, this was getting damn weird.

"Yo ANBU-man, you got some booze? Being stuck underground for decades makes you long for that shizz yo."

Of course, the addressed was too busy picking his jaw off the floor.

"Yondaime-sama, what-"

"NOT WHAT! WHO? WHY? WHEN? WHERE? You must ask the correct question if you want a correct answer. Now why are you all wearing cloaks and not the spandex uniforms I ordered you to?"

They went very still. It'd take a very brave or stupid man to say something to that.

"Sandaime-Sama told us-"

"Where the hell is ol' Saru? I got a bone to pick with the geezer!"

Naruto was nodding for some reason. Jiraiya began to cry. The addressed ANBU agent pointed a shaky finger at the very dead body of Minato's predecessor. Minato walked up to the body and stared down emotionlessly.

Before bursting into tears.

"Oh you poor, poor monkey man! Whose alcohol shall I steal now? WHOSE POT SHALL I FORCE DOWN LITTLE YAMATO'S THROAT NOW?"

The surrounding Shinobi began to edge away slowly. One very astute Kumo Jounin by the name of Omoi decided to risk his life for his curiosity.

"Sarutobi smoked pot?"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Hope you liked it! As always, I love reviews, so be sure to leave one! It means all the more to me since we're two chapters from the end.

~B


	51. Chapter 51

Welcome one and all, to the final chapter, the wrap up of a story I have enjoyed writing immensely. I shall forever remember these days, these artistic words, the fantastic readers and reviewers who encouraged, helped and loved my writing for the drivel it was!

I would be all dramatic here, but honestly, you guys probably don't really care as long as you have something to read. So enjoy it, and know that the sequel, Konoha: At His Fingertips, is in the works and ready to be posted after the epilogue, chapter 52, goes up.

So get ready to dive, the floor is deep.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

When everything's an enemy, where do you go?

Naruto ran. He ran as fast, and as far as he could. He didn't care that his lungs were tearing at his ribcage, he didn't care that his legs were screaming for him to stop.

And most of all, he didn't care where he would end up.

All that mattered to him was that he escape, escape far far away from the nightmare his life had become.

_He'd killed his father. He'd blown the man's head off!_

He tripped and fell, stubbing his toes upon loose tree roots and scraping his forearms as he tumbled to the floor. His stomach churned as it sought to empty its meagre contents. He panted with exhaustion, his eyes darting every which way, searching out phantom opponents that seemed to hide within every nook, every cranny and behind every tree. His hair flopped wildly over his scalp as his gaze threw his head in different directions with rapid succession.

His eyes were clouded, a vapid, lingering scent of blood and acid on his tongue. He leapt to his feet and continued his run.

His father was the Yondaime Hokage! He laughed inside, a cruel, mocking chuckle. _The Yondaime!_ The strongest Kage to grace this fetid world of corruption and evil power.

_And he'd been treated like crap._

He tripped again, this time falling flat on his front, his body sliding a few metres before coming to a stop. He tried to rise again, but cried out as his muscles cramped ferociously. He fell, bonelessly back to the leaf-strewn earth, his blood thumping in his ears, his breathing ragged and harsh. His brain told him he was in shock; it told him he couldn't handle the influx of new information, of bombs and mortar slamming into him in such a short period of time.

HOKAGE! _Him?_ He could barely handle himself, handle the hateful Kyuubi within him, handle the death of the Sandaime, of Uncle Higurashi's demise, of the death threat from so many years ago!

What was there left for him?

He knew, _God he knew_ that his thoughts were taking a dangerous path, that he was acting emotionally charged, but he didn't have a clue what he should do from here.

He lay there quivering; his face dug into the soft earth, soaking up the hot, anguished tears of his confusion.

_Why the hell had he blown the man's head off? WHY THE HELL DID IT HAVE TO BE HIS DAD?_

He screamed into the mud, but it was muffled and hoarse. He stilled, his breath warm against his cheeks. He closed his eyes and thought, _really thought_, about the events of the past few days.

He couldn't return to Konoha, not now, not when he'd all but abandoned the Village in its moment of need. In that moment, he realised what he was truly running from.

The looks of pity, the facades of pain and disappointment that would be reaching out to him from his friends and strangers alike. He couldn't bear to view Tenten's broken, helpless form, unable to recover from the loss of another parent. He couldn't bear the death and destruction left in the invasion's wake.

He couldn't bear to see his friends broken, Shisui relegated to a mere hospital vegetable, Kakashi stewing in anger from demons past and Anko frantically trying to piece together bonds she was desperate to never lose.

He dragged himself to the base of a Sycamore tree, its brown bark inviting, its branches spreading before him as if inviting for an embrace. He leant his back to its coarse surface and closed his eyes, the remaining vestiges of saline trailing his cheeks from the edges of his eyes.

He could pretend that his family and friends were around him, protecting and supporting him. He could flee from his problems once again, just like he'd always done. That was what he was good at, the only thing he ever was.

Slumber caught him in its ensnaring grasp, a time at which he should _never_ have fallen asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

He awoke to a strange sensation, as if he were bouncing on a trampoline. It procured memories of long ago, of a certain day of fun he'd rigged in the midst of bright sunlight and the flash of green leaves and blue sky. His subconscious was sluggish, dredging up nostalgic memories of a more joyous past before the nightmares had begun.

As he became more lucid, he realised he couldn't move and he couldn't speak. He twitched, finding lengths of cord binding his limbs and body into a ball, his head pushed up to his knees in a twisted bow of some kind. He tried to speak, only a soft growl emerged. Something moved and a single Sharingan-bearing eye sought out his face over the shoulder of his unwitting transport.

"Awake at last? You could sleep the day away Uzumaki-san!"

The orange mask, the spinning tomoe of that dreaded eye juxtaposed the murdering maniac over the bubbly speech that emanated from the male. Naruto panicked, squirming to free himself, a hurried squawking of terror sounding from his throat.

"Ah! We can't have that Uzumaki-san! Tobi is a nice person! Tobi won't harm you!

_Yet_." And that final word was hissed like the preying leap of the king of snakes. Naruto's blood froze, but he was powerless under whatever drug the Uchiha Patriarch had forced into his blood system. Their journey through the canopy of trees ended when they leapt into an expansive field of grass and Phalaenopsis Orchids. The cerise innards swayed in the breeze, the enchanting fragrance of morning dew and sweet scent combining with the slight haze of descending fog and the slight gold rays of dawn's sunrise to craft an idyllic atmosphere of peace and calm. The mere sight of such a peaceful vista slowed Naruto's sky-rocketing pulse and settled his mind ever so slightly.

The illusion was dispelled when he was dumped, none-too gently atop the long grass. A Kunai followed, slicing into flesh as it dropped his bindings from around him. Naruto yelped and tried to stand, his knees wobbled and buckled beneath him, sending him to the ground again.

And it was in that moment he realised that he would not live past this day. Madara had come to fulfil his promise.

"_You have tasted but a particle's worth of my strength so know what you are up against. But know this; I will be back, and when I return it is either your death or mine, Uzumaki Naruto."_

He recalled those words clear as day, as if it had only happened the day before. His adrenaline spiked; it was fight or flight.

"So you are ready hmm? Excellent, excellent."

The mask fell away as easy as it came. He had not even bothered to shed the _real_ mask.

"Do you perish, or do you survive? Such an interesting question!"

Madara began to pace back and forth, his right hand waving airily as if truly in the process of consideration. He stopped suddenly, and that same sardonic, frightful smile twitched at the edges of his mouth.

"The look in your eyes, young Kyuubi, is _delightful."_

He strode towards him, his form towering above the blonde's head. Naruto curled into himself to make his body less of a target, and attempted to scramble away.

It did nothing to stop the crushing blow that sent his careening to his right.

Ah, his jaw broke.

Madara gazed dispassionately down at his captive. The boy was defeated. Every time he showed a hint of promise, he reined it in like a damn coward. His _famous_ exploits were a lie to himself it seemed. He remembered the same terrified gaze, the same shuddering wreck that had crawled on his hands and knees to escape him a few years ago.

He snorted; he should not have gotten his hopes up. It was time to enact the final scene.

His hands flew into seals and he intoned his technique softly.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu."

Naruto startled, his spine ram-rod straight. Madara almost laughed; deer-in-headlights indeed.

He plucked the edge of the pre-teen's stained blue t-shirt and pulled it up to expose his midriff. A single glowing finger poked the child's belly-button and immediately the jet black cage of the most fearsome Bijuu alive appeared in its blazing glory.

"My dearest pet fox, can you hear me?" He drawled almost lovingly.

The seal flared angrily and Naruto screamed in pain. Madara smiled again; wonderful! He clapped his hands like a child receiving his first fluorescent balloon.

"I am here to collect your debt! What do you say? Remain in this...pathetic weakling's body, or become my minion once again? I have cookies!" He spread his arms wide as if inviting to a particularly lavish feast only the privileged were empowered. The seal flared again, this time smoke rising from the skin of the blonde's gut, his flesh burning in hatred.

Madara's eyes narrowed, the switch from happy-go-lucky to cruel and dispassionate almost as simple as the drifting of clouds in the heavens.

"I shall not remind you again, beast. Either you will return, or you will be banished from this land. And I assure you, neither of which are a loss to me."

Naruto was unable to speak, his throat choking on the nascent fear he'd harboured of this individual from a young age. He tried to reason with his own psyche that it was childish and stupid, that he was strong and able to defend himself from any threat, but his disposition won out.

He was _petrified_ of this man, scared witless by his very presence. It had been a lurking suspicion at the back of his mind for so long, but he'd ignored it. If he was strong enough, he'd reasoned, he could beat anything.

But this was his bogeyman. The thing that went bump in the night.

And so the Kyuubi gripped him in its cloak of putrid Chakra; an overwhelming acrimony, a tornado of tempestuousness aimed solely at the man before him. A single, finely shaped eyebrow rose behind the orange mask.

"You wish to try me with your mere tantrums? Have you not forgotten my eye?"

Naruto's arm lashed out, yet the Uchiha had been ready for it. He slipped backwards in a fluid backflip, landing as if he'd never moved in the first place.

"Now, now, none of that little fox." He casually dropped his orange mask, sunken flesh shadowed by the glow of his right eye. The Sharingan morphed into something more, something shaped like those illustrations of the planets orbit around the sun he'd seen on chocolate packets sold to children in the markets. It looked like two ovals tilted in opposite directions. The rings began to spin, faster and faster till Naruto was hypnotised. His single eye had morphed, transformed into a solid black ring with a smaller, filled orb within it. It was almost as if the Uchiha's Doujutsu had finally become a normal eyeball, albeit, a twisted, evil form of what should have been naturally beautiful. The Kyuubi roared futilely as its power was suppressed, the effect of the ultimate Sharingan rendering its hateful energy useless.

And then the full moon peeked from behind the clouds.

A feeling of weightlessness spread through the Jinchuuriki's body, his mind floating as if he were really among the celestial bodies. A rush of tingling spread from the centre of his forehead, the same spot Uchiha Itachi had transferred his mysterious influence to in that accursed mission to Nami no Kuni. The sensation drifted across his cranium, settling before his eyes which began to throb incessantly.

The Kyuubi roared in triumph, its Chakra flooding once again through the very veins of its container. Madara stood silenced, his eyes wide and searching before they narrowed inconspicuously.

"Itachi!" He spat, incensed.

Madara leapt backwards hurriedly, just in time to avoid the crashing appendage of pure Chakra that buckled the very Earth like paper. This complicated things badly; he knew Itachi was hiding things, going behind his back and spying on him, but never had he imagined the younger Uchiha to completely defy him.

Itachi _wanted_ him dead. Itachi _did not_ want his plan. His plan to have the Uchiha clan regain their honour and pride in this crumbling World of faux alliance and war. He would have caused their rebirth! They would have stood unmatched! Alone at the precipice of power, not even the Senju could have interfered with their re-ascension!

But no! Itachi had betrayed. Itachi had rejected. _Itachi would pay!_

It had been so very long since Madara had truly fought, not since his battle with Hashirama at the Valley of the End decades ago. It was time he showed the World once again what qualified him as the second founder of the strongest Village alliance to grace the Shinobi Continent. He could not use his Space-Time Ninjutsu to avoid the Kyuubi's attacks; pure Chakra affected the very soul, the Chakra networks spiralling around the internal organs of a human's body. He would have to avoid them physically, attack physically, with the decades of experience he had under his belt.

Five tails waving, the transforming blond lunged once more, frighteningly fast. Madara cartwheeled, throwing himself sideways to avoid the human-beast bullet. He sealed so quickly, his Jutsu was completed in the blink of an eye.

_Ryuusa Bakuryu!_

Mud churned, contorting as if in pain. Dark brown lightened to off-gold quicksand appearing from the firm foothold that was once the earth. A large wave rose up, the titan of Doton Jutsu rumbling and roiling towards the Kyuubi-possessed Jinchuuriki. Madara leapt to a tree at the edge of the vast clearing as he gazed intently at the spot where Naruto had been buried.

It had been so much easier to steal the beast from the boy's mother. She had been weakened from the throes of pregnancy and yet was protected by the strongest Kage in memory. It was almost uncannily disturbing that the son held such firm resolve unconsciously, just as his father had. His research into the tailed beasts had lent much discussion to the finality of his planning, but he had never worked out what was so special about the Uzumakis of Whirlpool.

The country had been destroyed, vaporised in the last Shinobi war, buckling under the monsters that the hidden Villages had become. Their sole ally, Konoha, had been unable to protect them, fighting on two fronts as they had been. If only he had known, back then, who Mito had been, what significance she had held as the First Hokage's wife, he could have gained control of the whole situation so long ago.

He had never thought Hashirama would hide such secrets from him, not at the height of their friendship. He knew better now though, the Shodai Hokage had never trusted him fully, a path, in retrospect, of wisdom. Madara laughed bitterly; how ironic that the Eddy Village had been founded by distant relatives of the Senju!

His reminiscence was cut short as a huge corona of crimson Chakra exploded from the hardening ground. Six tails standing proudly, Naruto reared back before falling onto all-fours, a great ball of Chakra hovering in front of his mouth.

And then it began.

It was amazing, blistering in heat. Chakra pellets, so small, yet powerful enough to fry your body inside-out were spat so rapidly as to mimic a machine gun. Madara almost fled.

_Almost._

He disappeared in a burst of speed, the bolts of energy tracking like a homing device. He was forcing a deadly amount of Chakra into his limbs, his furious speed kicking up a trailing, continuous cloud of dust and soil. He was beginning to tire. This was ridiculous.

He jumped to avoid a clump of large grass, eyes flickering back at the monster out for his blood. He cursed; a seventh tail was growing, this would hurt.

The added power of the latest appendage granted the transformed boy a boost in sensory and judgemental ability. His tracking was that much faster. Head wrenching to the side, his Chakra gun found its mark in an explosion of cursed energy. The wind roared, the earth rocked, huge clouds of smoke and dust billowing out into spheres of thick smog.

The seven-tails roared in triumph, shooting toward the centre with a speed-shattering gate. Claws extended, it lunged for the kill.

"Gogyou Fuuin!"

A single burnt palm slammed into Naruto's mid-section, digging hard into the seal ensconced around his belly button. Naruto cried out in pain, falling onto his behind as the Kyuubi's malevolent influence was forcibly contained within its prison. A left hook caught the Jinchuuriki under his jaw, sending him reeling backwards like a marionette.

Madara emerged, eyes shadowed and furious, shoulders hung and features haggard. Much of his skin was blistering and raw, the heat from the Kyuubi's shot having melted his already drooping face.

"ENOUGH!" He roared.

"Ryoku Makuhaku!"

A pulse of unchallenged force slammed into the quivering blond, already weakened by the rapid rise and fall of Chakra activity within his body. He fell onto his back, his elbows unable to support him, breathing harsh and ragged.

Madara strode purposefully towards the downed boy, wincing at the pain throbbing under his skin. He had been throwing around S-Rank Jutsu like water, it was to be expected, fighting one as powerful as the nine-tailed bijuu.

"Raiton: Mori!"

A lance of electricity speared Naruto's midriff, causing him to scream in agony, shackled to the ground. Madara stood over him, detaching himself from the torture he was causing. Many more would die by his hand before his Utopia would be made.

"You have answered me. I no longer need you, Kyuubi no Youko. All I require is your essence, and the ten locks of Ryuumon will be opened once again. How insignificant, how puny you are in comparison to the Jyuubi!"

He laughed harshly through his pain, his madness surfacing as his eyes rolled behind his eyelids. His cackles died down as he pulled an obsidian gem, the size of his fist from within his cloak.

"Now, to seal you. Kakuan Nitten Suishu."

Six pillars of stone erupted from the torn ground, surrounding Naruto in a circle. Madara placed his hand atop Naruto's stomach before touching the sparkling gem. The rare stone flashed ruby and began to glow as a thin stream of the Kyuubi's Chakra began filtering from the seal on Naruto's midsection. Madara slammed his palm on his belly once again, this time unsealing the five-elements seal he had placed to stop the Kyuubi's rampage. The Chakra filtering through the seal thickened into a river as it poured from Naruto's seizing body. The blonde's eyes snapped open, glowing an unholy blue.

His blood boiled. He was dying, he could feel it. Damn it all if he went down without a fight. His mind sharpened, pulling on the link to his prisoner with reckless abandon; _you're not going anywhere, you damned fox!_

Madara frowned, kicking the boy cruelly in his crotch. Naruto shouted in pain, curling into himself and whimpering.

"Do not resist Uzumaki. You will die soon enough. Why do you seek to hasten your demise?"

He was taunting him. Naruto scrabbled the ground below him, flinching as his fingertips met thick blood from his wounds.

Blood. _Perfect._

_"We'll survive. All of us. Promise."_ He'd abandoned them, but to hell with him if he ever broke his word! They'd promised to survive, all four of them. Shisui hadn't died, he'd lived, catatonic as he may be, yet he'd not broken his word.

Neither would Naruto. Never.

One Control Seal, branching out to an Elemental Control Seal. Spirals to their centres, joining at either edge so as to form perfect symmetry. A line through the middle, bisecting both seals neatly and connecting to one last seal: the Chakra Sensor Node. The whole construct would react to his Chakra, drawn with his own blood, but he didn't want its effects.

He was going to overload it.

He primed himself, sluggish Chakra beginning to swirl around his body once again. Madara chuckled at his efforts, thinking them defunct due to tapping him to the jewel held in his hand. But Naruto didn't care.

The bastard would pay.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The ground exploded in a symphony of light, a gouge long and deep burrowing into the soil like a bomb blast. Naruto was thrown face up into the air, his entire back screeching in torment. He'd only just managed to shield the worst of the blast with his Chakra, God knows what would have happened if he hadn't learnt how to extend it from his Tenketsu. The link of Red had snapped and Naruto felt stability return to the seal once again. He was too fatigued to fight anymore, the Kyuubi had been silenced by its restriction. Naruto didn't care what had become of the Uchiha Patriarch, as he plummeted to the ground, he could barely think straight anymore.

He landed with a thump, bones snapping in his pelvis and shoulders. His mouth opened in a silent scream, his Ryu-Zashi clattering to the ground beside him, Airboard splintering a few feet away. He lay there, totally spent, unable to move a muscle.

A lumbering shadow fell across his eyes, and in a last fit of energy, ignoring the bolt of pain that stabbed like lightning through the very roots of his body, his palm caught the hilt of one of his Wakizashi, channelled as much Chakra as he could, and pitched the blade with his remaining strength at the bulbous form approaching him.

The glowing sword, eye flashing as if alive, azure rivulets twisting around its form like a tornado of radiance, sunk deep into the flesh and soul of the oldest Uchiha as he raised a Kunai to stab the teen in his heart. Madara screamed, his body clenching as it fell backwards, only to jar to a stop as the point of the blade sunk into the ground. He remained propped at an angle, tortured eyes staring at the sky as the life began to bleed out of him.

Naruto shied away from the agonised sounds, dragging himself inch-by-inch from the source of such pain. He needed to escape, it was the only thing on his mind, and as the hours wore on, he had left the clearing, a trail of blood smeared in his wake.

By the time someone would find it, the red trail would have dried and cracked, disappearing after a mile to the north.

Naruto would disappear for a number of years. Years his friends would spend searching, bottling their pain and sadness at the bundle of sunshine that was forced to shoulder more than he could ever take.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was strange how things seemed to work. Murphy's law, they said, sheer bad luck or some other superstitious belief.

Itachi pondered the phenomenon as he landed silently beside his old master. He gazed uncaringly at the man who attempted to achieve what was not to be. The man who challenged fate and failed.

A thin, cracked whisper, a dying man's wish, broke him from his muse.

"You must be glad."

Itachi frowned.

"Of what, Shisho?"

Madara laughed, or at least, tried to.

"Do not call me that, traitor."

"One cannot become a traitor if they never swore allegiance in the first place, _Madara-san_."

Silence descended for a while, neither wishing to break it.

"Do you...find pleasure in watching someone die?"

Itachi paused, his eyes drawn back from viewing the stars.

"I didn't think it was possible for you to do so."

Uchiha Madara chuckled, blood trailing from the corner of his lips.

"Who would have thought a boy would hold two of the Jyuubi's claws. The only weapons capable of defying my power."

Itachi sat beside his mentor, discarding his Akatsuki cloak in one fluid move.

"You mortals do not know! You do not comprehend the power that is at our fingertips!"

"I believe you are referring to the Jyuubi no Ryu."

Madara struggled to turn his head, to look at his student, but stopped as his spine began to creak.

"You were always too intelligent, too cunning for your own good."

Itachi's lips quirked into a smile. That was the only positive comment Madara had ever proclaimed about him.

"But you didn't find it."

Madara's head shifted ever so slightly.

"No. Nor the keys. To think he had one, sitting before me all these years. Not one, but two!"

Itachi remained impassive. Madara would pass on his knowledge, just in case Itachi would be tempted to take the same path he had. The man was too arrogant and stubborn not to.

"There were clues of course; the disappearance of Whirlpool, the Eddian Library along with it. The burning of Mizu's Concierge before I managed to sway Kiri's council to my side. All that knowledge placed and revered by the Rikoudou Sennin lost by the foolishness of you mortals," Madara spat.

"You forget that you were mortal too, proof of that is before your eyes." Itachi was loath to rile a dying man, and yet it was oddly comforting to do so as his biggest opponent lay bleeding at his side.

"Impudent boy. You were helping me all along and you didn't even know it. How do you think that blasted Konoha convoy disappeared from the face of the Earth?"

"Along with the tablets of Bassai."

Madara snarled.

"It was you!"

Itachi inclined his head. Madara grew silent, realising the futility of fighting when he was on his last thread. After a short while, he threw his head back and laughed, quickly degenerating to a sobbing wreck from the pain of his wounds.

"H-How ironic...to have the very-very same boy...defeat me with the only weapon capable of soul destruction."

Itachi remained impassive.

"You will come to know. You will all come to know. If that..._thing_ ever looses itself once again. The terrors of the past will be upon you. It shall lay waste to everything, because I was the only one ever capable of controlling it."

He was referring to the Ten-Tailed Dragon of course, the legend, the myth of the most fearsome of nature's disaster which rid the world of every living thing before the Sage of the Six Path's time. Its colossal size and frightening powers lingering on in the earth through its split soul in the form of the nine Bijuu. Itachi didn't know whether Madara's words were simply the rambling of a delusional crone having lived a life far too great for the shell he had become.

"Y-You will have another war on your hands Itachi. P-Pein...Pein will come for him."

His breathing stilled, his words had run their course. Itachi remained sitting beside the rapidly cooling body for a time, contemplating all that he had said.

What would come, would come. He was still alive to be there when it would. His job, though complete, had truly only just started. Would that the Sandaime had known...

Standing, he passed a hand over the deceased Uchiha patriarch's eyes, closing the lids for the last time. With a final look back, his form flickered and dispersed.

The winds of change were approaching.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Ryuusa Bakuryu – Quicksand Waterfall Current

**Character Use:** Gaara  
**Rank:** S  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10m), Far (10m+)  
**Type:** Attack

Ryuusa Bakuryuu is a Ninjutsu technique utilized by the Sand ninja Gaara. The technique functions similar to his Sabaku Kyuu except on a much larger scale. With the development of Gaara's powers he has gained further control over the nearby environment. By crushing rocks and pebbles in the ground with his sand, he can create more useable sand. After focusing his power, a large tidal wave size amount sand will rise from the ground to cover his target and the surrounding area. This technique serves to set up his Sabaku Taisou technique.

Gogyou Fuuin - Five Elements Seal

**Character Use:** Orochimaru  
**Rank:** A  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Supplementary  
**Note:** These are the five elements in Chinese philosophy

Gogyou Fuuin is a Fuuinjutsu technique used by the Sannin Orochimaru. Orochimaru forms an elemental seal on each of his fingers, one for each of the following five "elements": water, metal, earth, fire and wood. He used this odd numbered seal to disrupt the affects of the even numbered Shishou Fuuin placed on Naruto's stomach by the Fourth Hokage. The Gogyou Fuuin would disrupt the Shishou Fuuin's ability to let the Kyuubi's chakra blend into Naruto's chakra.

Gogyou Kaiin - Five Elements Unseal

Character Use: Jiraiya  
Rank: A  
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)  
Type: Supplementary  
Note: These are the five elements in Chinese philosophy

Gogyou Kaiin is a Fuuinjutsu technique used by the Leaf Sannin Jiraiya. Jiraiya forms an elemental unseal on each of his fingers, one for each of the follwoing five "elements": water, metal, earth, fire and wood. He then applies his hand with force to the Gogyou Fuuin to remove it.

Ryoku Makuhaku – Energy Pulse

Ryoku Makuhaku is a Pure Chakra Manipulation Ninjutsu that shoots out a wave of energy. It is used to throw large opponents to the ground as well as petrifying them from being able to attack the user.

Raiton: Mori – Lightning Element: Lance

Rank: S

Raiton: Mori allows the user to throw a spear of lightning at an opponent. It is particularly hard to block unless an opponent is well versed in Raiton techniques. Another defence would be a Lightning Elemental Control Seal to cover the user in an electric shield although this expends a large amount of a user's Chakra.

Hokage Shiki Jijun Jutsu • Kakuan Nitten Suishu - Hokage Style 60 Years Retirement Technique • Sanctuary Enlightenment Enclosing Palm

**Character Use:** Shodai Hokage, Yamato  
**Rank:** -  
**Note:** Secret Technique  
**Range:** Close (0m ~ 5m)  
**Type:** Supplementary

Hokage Shiki Jijun Jutsu • Kakuan Nitten Suishu is a Ninjutsu technique unique to the First Hokage and his genetically infused double Yamato, however because Yamato is not Shodai himself, he does not have the same level of control. This hidden technique allows both men to control Jinchuuriki in conjunction with the unique crystallized chakra necklace. The crystal necklace responds to the First Hokage's chakra, which in turn allows them to control the chakra of the Jinchuuriki. This power was so coveted, it was said to be the reason Shodai was made Hokage, and why Yamato was made by Orochimaru.

To use the technique, a complex string of handseals will be used, and the user's palm will be extended. The palm will bear the "sit" kanji. Drawing close, the user will place their palm on the chest of the Jinchuuriki and then withdraw, an emanation of chakra will then follow from the seal to the palm. Spiked posts will rise and surround the Jinchuuriki to corral them. In a short time, the Jinchuuriki's bijuu manifestation and chakra will withdraw from their body into the chest seal, eventually returning them to normal.

ONE MORE TO GO!

Reviews would be much appreciated.

~B


	52. Chapter 52 Epilogue

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END, PLEASE READ!**

**I won't bother to hold you up, Epilogue as it is. All I can say is: ENJOY!**

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Soft hands flitted over human flesh, an aqua glow suffusing its surface with a halo of light. The blonde woman they belonged to frowned and tapped her forehead in consternation before scribbling something on her clipboard on the table beside her.

Shisui lay as dormant as ever, face pallid, eyes sealed. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought he was dead. But Tsunade did know better; he wasn't, his coma was induced and she had a very strong idea of whom and what was causing it.

She ghosted over his gut, wiry muscles flaccid and unused for many months not even twitching in the slightest. How the Uchiha had fallen.

No, for all intents and purposes, his hormone levels were normal. In fact, they had been low according to his report. He'd been administered with Serotonin a couple of times…

But that, in itself, was strange. Serotonin, or 5-Hydroxytryptamine, was a protein that induced most feelings in the human body. When you feel hungry or sad, happy or depressed, by and large 5-HT was the cause of it. Yet it was stored in the gut and so shouldn't have any effect on a coma. It could cause sleep induction, but only in large amounts inside the brain. It was very hard to trace there, being a natural protein produced for drowsiness and the like.

Tsunade didn't know how long she simply stared at the once-jolly Uchiha's drawn features before deciding to check the medical records again. Swiping the clipboard from the bedside table, she rifled through the scrawling script of a dozen doctors and nurses as well as her own most recent additions. She looked for something, anything, that was out of the ordinary, not within procedure or against common medical practise. Her eyes sought out the 5-HT administrations once again; she knew it was something about this hormone, something she was missing.

She re-read the passage for the thousandth time.

_October 8__th__: 16mg, intravenous._

_October 18__th__: 16mg, intravenous._

_October 28__th__: 16mg, intravenous._

It continued on and on, every ten days, another dose of 16mg. It made no sense, not with his incapacitation anyway. Sixteen milli-grams was a tiny amount for the gut.

_Wait…_

It never said it where it was administered. Her blood began to pound in her ears as her mind ran through all the possibilities. Was it possible? Could they do something so reckless?

She feverishly tore the pages of the report aside until she was met with the drug-sourcing. It would tell her exactly where the hospital was getting the Serotonin from. Her finger traced down the list until she found the glaring 'S'.

It was empty, only a 'Mikazuki Medical' was printed beside it. She almost punched something. Danzou was hiding his steps well.

"Shizune!"

The younger woman stuck her head through the door.

"Yes, Tsunade-Sama?"

The blonde nodded to her apprentice.

"We're moving him to a safe location right away. I need you to help me."

Shizune stared worriedly.

"Err, Shisho…this is a hospital right?"

"Don't you think I know that?" She snapped.

"S-So, it should be safe…"She trailed off at the glare she received from her teacher.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it isn't! His coma is induced to dangerous levels. We need to get him somewhere that Danzou can't reach him before we wake him up."

They covered him with a deceased shawl and wheeled him from the ward. As they edged beyond the door, Tsunade caught sight of one of the other long-term patients, a certain Hyuuga girl.

A Hyuuga girl with the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai.

It was almost as if a physical click reverberated within her brain. Her spine locked ram-rod straight causing the patient trolley to rattle to a halt in front of her.

"Shisho?"

"We're taking the Hyuuga girl too. Quickly. We'll get them both to my old family house."

Shizune didn't protest this time, but she continued to shoot doubtful looks at the Slug Sannin. She held her silence until they cleared the entrance of the Hospital.

"Danzou, Tsunade-Sama?"

She sighed. "Yes Shizune, Danzou."

XXXXXXXXXX

There was something mildly disconcerting about an empty Hokage's office. Anko shut the left of the double mahogany doors with a soft click as she slid into the room. Her eyes swept the once invitingly sunlit surfaces, now settling with a thin layer of dust on its surface. The soft browns of the large wooden desk, the muted canary of the walls, the aura of Chakra lurking like mist throughout the whole expanse; everything seemed dull without the Sandaime to occupy it.

She sighed wearily. Plodding around the huge desk, she placed a hand on the top drawer behind it and tugged. The handle rattled as the lock caught on the edge. She dropped her arm only to run it through her tangled purple hair. She felt guilty enough for not having returned the Seeing Ball all this time, and now that old Sarutobi was dead…

He had smiled at her, a brief ray of sunshine when Orochimaru had abandoned her. She had been thrown into this very room when she'd made it back to her home village. It held so many memories, happy and sad alike. How many times had she stood at attention as a Genin, then Chuunin and now Tokubetsu Jounin? How many comrades had stood beside her under their venerable leader's appreciative gaze only to not return?

She stifled her tears before they fell. She had cried her fill. She'd been doing that a lot recently. No, it was time to honour Hiruzen's memory and leave his legacy to the next leader of the Leaf. Reaching into her cloak, she retrieved the Seeing Ball from its depths and placed it on the surface of the Hokage's desk. Sapphire seals flared to life, spinning and swirling over the walls and ceiling before settling into transparency again. Not for the first time did she marvel the beauty of the workmanship from the Shodai's era.

Her palm lingered on the soft, smooth surface of the glass ball and just as she was meaning to pull back and leave the confines of the strangely claustrophobic room, she heard voices.

"…Yes, but she has refused enough times. We do not want a leader who neither cares nor wants the position."

Anko frowned. Her hand remained connected to the Seeing Ball.

"Then who? That is my question? If not the Senju line, who else deserves the position?"

Anko's mind whirled. It was Homura and Koharu, the two elders. Koharu seemed to have some reservations against Tsunade's appointment to Godaime. They'd all thought it was a sure thing in the previous weeks.

"Certainly not Jiraiya. Lord only knows where that shameless man is off gallivanting to."

Anko gritted her teeth; he may be a shameless pervert, but he was doing something the Konoha Council didn't have the guts to do. He was out searching for the Hokage-elect! The rightful Godaime who'd been driven to abandonment by his own Village!

"No, I think Danzou would be the best choice in this case."

Anko's blood froze at Koharu's words. They wouldn't really give a maniac like Danzou the Hokage hat would they? His ulterior motives for world domination were practically common knowledge amongst the Shinobi population. Plus, he was senile; he likely couldn't remember his own name in the morning.

"He's a patriot, a veteran of two wars and he only has the best interests of Konoha to the best of my knowledge."Koharu was really pushing it.

Ï'm not so sure. He wouldn't exactly be called fit for the job. Haven't there been rumours of his vigilante group lingering even after Hiru dissolved them? What were they called again?"

"Nee."Koharu replied shortly.

"That's the one. I doubt it would be a good idea to allow someone who defies the law to take such a prestigious and honourable position."

"Be that as it may, how different is it than to allow a mere green teenager the seat of our power?"

Homura fell quiet. Their footsteps reached the door to the office and stopped. Anko held her breath for the door handle to turn, but it never came. They began to discuss Danzou's appointment again. She contemplated all that she'd heard; none of it was good. At the very least, the two most trusted figures were not going to be voted in.

She looked down to find her hand still laying atop the Seeing Ball. She'd forgotten its presence in the conversation there. She stared at it now though.

Did she really want this in the hands of someone like Danzou? She decided that the mere thought of it left a bitter taste in her mouth. True, it was the Sandaime's and without a doubt he'd want it used for the Village's protection but…

But Danzou would use it to spy and control the populace. That would be unacceptable. No, the ancient relic was Naruto's by Hiruzen's choice, Danzou could not have it.

Yet, Naruto wasn't the Hokage…

As her mind warred with itself, the conversation outside the door continued until it sputtered to a stop. Anko's head rose as she felt them come to some sort of decision. Steeling her resolve, she gathered the glass trophy into her cloak once more and made for the window.

When the two elders entered to declare Danzou as the Godaime on the scroll of sealing, all that was left was a fluttering curtain and an open pane of glass to suggest someone had been there not moments before.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Yocchan! Wha's zat?"

Imada Yoichi's rebuttal died in his throat as the pair reached the fields that would later become known as the Lawn of Lament. He and Mattaru had travelled far since Bassai, things had truly taken a turn for the worst. Just the two of them, little food and shelter and the outdoors. In a way, it was a refreshing change to the trail of destruction they had left behind. After leaving the Woodsmen town, now ruin, the two had found a gigantic crater the size of a sprawling metropolis about twenty miles out. It was terrifying. The ground was blackened and smooth. The mud had been baked to sand and then crystallised to glass. Black glass.

He'd never seen anything like it before. Where had the Leaf's forces been? Why weren't they there? It was so strange that something was happening in the middle of Fire Country and the government were staying quiet. Yoichi had a feeling that this whole situation was far too big for him. He was eleven for God's sake! He'd seen more death than even a grandmother, the last of her generation!

And now this. A corpse in the middle of long grass with a short-sword sticking out of his middle. What the heck was wrong with the world?

"Looks like a dead guy, Matt." They approached slowly, cautiously. Shinobi deaths were dangerous in that you never knew what sort of trap they left near a dead body.

"I can see tha'" Mattaru's blue hair, strewn with every and all form of outdoor dirt, yet somehow still shining ethereally.

Yoichi placed a tentative hand on the Wakizashi protruding from the corpse's middle only to retract it quickly with a yelp as he was burnt. A flash of Delphinium lit up around them before disappearing quickly. Yoichi shook his head; he'd thought he'd seen some kind of reptilian animal with bright blue eyes hover of the hilt and roar at him there. Great, now he was going crazy on top of everything else. Maybe he was already nuts, it would explain a lot.

"Yocchan! Thar's anofer one over thar too!" Mattaru's yell was a lot louder as his hand met the cold steel of the second of the pair. Yoichi's gaze lingered before returning to the cold body propped on the ground. It exuded power like a waterfall. This guy had been amazingly strong when he'd been alive. These weapons must be incredibly powerful to have killed him. Weapons he could use to make this rotting world right and avenge his friends, his family and his life.

He firmed his resolve and tightened his fist over the hilt of the Wakizashi. A dull throb of pain stabbed up his arm but he ignored it. He would need to bandage his hands later.

"Mattaru, grab the other one. We need to go."

And so it was that Naruto wouldn't be re-united with his trusty swords for years to come.

Years in which he'd begin to realise how important they were.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Uchiha Itachi tightened the buttons of his cloak as he stepped into the cave high atop the Hidden Village of Ame. He shook off the vestiges of water clinging to his raven hair, stepping resolutely into the confines of the hideout.

As he moved further into the shadowed cavern, the light of a small candle became visible, flickering and sending shadows skittering across the roughly hewn walls of stone. A blue, pony-tailed head turned to greet him, dark, glittering eyes regarding him neutrally.

"Welcome back Itachi-san."

The Uchiha Survivor inclined his head to Konan. He took his place at her side. The remaining forces of Akatsuki were gathered around, some in body, some by universal projection; one of Pein's many skills.

"Tobi wasn't very skilled anyway. His death means little to us overall."

Pein remained silent at Sasori's words. Itachi mused over whether he was actually sad that the Uchiha Patriarch had finally died. Maybe he was more shocked that someone even he could not defy had ended at the hands of the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. He knew the repercussions of such an event; Pein would go after Naruto-kun himself now. He would treat him as an extreme threat and emerge all guns blazing.

"You must be happy, eh Deidara? Nobody to annoy you now."

Deidara scowled irritatedly.

"No, you were always worse, Sharkface."

Kisame looked scandalised in all his rainbow coloured glory. His image wavered slightly as his expression turned predatory.

"…Or maybe…maybe _Deidara-Senpai_ is actually blubbering that his _friend_ died!"

Itachi ignored the banter as he regarded the official leader of the illegal organisation. Pein met his gaze solidly for a moment before nodding.

"Deidara, Kisame, enough. Now that the Kyuubi's Kinchuuriki has finally shown his true strength, we would do well not to underestimate him. I am certain I advised the exact same thing in our previous meeting."

The room became silent as if sensing an order was coming.

"Itachi, Kisame, you two are to join Zetsu with retrieving the Nibi. I shall capture the Nine-tails myself. That is all."

When the mutterings began to die down, one-by-one, the Akatsuki members departed until it was only Pein, Konan and Itachi amongst the phantom shadow soldiers dancing around them. They held their silence, almost expectantly waiting for the other to speak.

Itachi turned away.

"Are you disappointed?" Pein's voice reached him, softly as always.

His head turned to the side, a single Sharingan above pronounced facial features regarding the Akatsuki leader.

"I was under the impression he was your teacher and confidante."

Itachi's eyes swept over Konan's bowed head. This conversation had been premeditated.

"We had no such relationship. He was merely a guide for a time. A guide far past his prime."

Pein nodded in acknowledgement.

"Perhaps."

Itachi exited the cave to the perpetual storm falling on Ame. He really disliked this place. Now that He and Kisame had been re-assigned, his mission would become harder. The coasts of Mizu were far from Kumo. The last clue from the Eddian Library and the tablets of Bassai had pointed to the mythical Dragon's Roost. It was the nickname of the ancient home of the Rikoudou Sennin, the huts that had fallen from the surface of the Earth.

He knew that it would only get more difficult, hiding his motives and allegiances, acting the villain with the entire world at stake. He would commit suicide if he were an ordinary man. The times to come were far too gruelling than anything he had faced before. The power that was the Jyuubi no Ryu…

Only the scars of the earth lay testament to its extravagant presence. All was forgotten in the minds of man.

He shivered, drawing his cloak around his lithe body. If only…

Small rays of light peeked through the ever-present clouds as he disappeared in a burst of speed.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

And that, my dear readers, is the end.

The end of KNP. I shall cry manly tears of loss at ending this. It has been a mainstay on my mind for the last year and a half. Plotting, planning, revising….

What a time it has been! What a year and a half, a whim that has grown to rival the storms of the Amazon!

And it could not have been done without every single one of you. Extra Special thanks to **Lainana, Ageant, InARealPickle, Knuckz, Althia9, jolteonforever, Dreamweaver Mirar, WatchingWinter, Shivakashi, Mrriddler, Obsy, Lanalisha Thezii, Luvindigo Empress, RikoudouSennin** and Lord Ezra'íl. You guys have been my pillars of support and ideas for so long. Never will you find a more vibrant, varied group of people as the forums have spawned. So a heartfelt thank you to you lot and everyone else there for everything. Feel glad, for a sequel is soon.

A sequel is soon…

You know what would be so awesomely cool as a send off for this story? If every single reader, every single one, dropped a review my way. That would be so incredibly gratifying, but I guess that may be too much to ask.

And so we end KNP, and move on to KaHF. Expect it soon.

Signing off for the last time on this story,

MegaB


	53. Sequel Notice

Yo all! You requested to be notified so here it is!

The very first chapter of 'Konoha: At His Fingertips' is now up for your avid perusal! Do read it and leave a review, for reviews are always appreciated!

And can I just take the time to thank each and every one of you? I received almost 300 reviews for the culminating chapter of KNP, the sheer number simply blew me away. I'm not sure I can ever match the level KNP rose to, you guys were so awesome. I apologise for not being able to answer every review, but I'm sure you understand that with such a large number, it was very hard!

So take care all, and I hope you enjoy the sequel!

MegaB, out.


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